Zhang Weili expected to return to action relatively soon

Reports indicate that strawweight champion Zhang Weili is expected to make a competitive return in the relatively near future, though no official booking has been confirmed. Separately, the strawweight title fight between Mackenzie Dern and Gillian Robertson at UFC 330 had reportedly been in the works for several weeks before its formal announcement.

Zhang Weili, 36, holds a 26-4-0 record and remains the reigning women's strawweight champion. Known by her nickname "Magnum," the switch-stance fighter out of China is one of the division's most complete threats, averaging 5.15 significant strikes per minute at 53 percent accuracy while also posing a consistent grappling danger at 2.24 takedowns per 15 minutes.

Mackenzie Dern, 33, carries a 16-5-0 record and enters UFC 330 as a champion in her own right. The American orthodox fighter trains out of RVCA and has built her reputation around submission pressure, averaging 1.1 submission attempts per 15 minutes, though she also mixes in a steady striking output of 3.47 significant strikes per minute.

Her opponent, Gillian Robertson, brings a 17-8-0 record and ranks twelfth in the strawweight division. The 31-year-old Canadian, who trains at The Goat Shed Academy, is arguably the more active grappler between the two, averaging 2.76 takedowns and 0.9 submission attempts per 15 minutes. Robertson's path from outside the top ten to a title shot makes the matchup notable.

Why it matters

• Zhang Weili's potential return timeline could intersect with the Dern-Robertson title picture, adding urgency to UFC 330's outcome
• Robertson's elite takedown rate presents a direct stylistic test for Dern's submission-based game
• A Robertson upset from rank 12 would reshape the strawweight landscape ahead of Weili's comeback
• None of these developments are officially confirmed, and the situation remains fluid