Joanna Jedrzejczyk responds to heavy backlash from Weili Zhang for coronavirus post

Joanna Jedrzejczyk is all set to challenge for the UFC Strawweight Championship again. This time, she's set to take on one of the fastest-rising stars in the UFC - Weili Zhang.

As you probably know, Zhang is from China, a country that has recently been in the headlines due to the coronavirus that allegedly originated from there. The nation is currently suffering from the most cases of the disease and Jedrzejczyk decided to post a meme about the situation.

She posted a photo of her vs Zhang, which a gas mask photoshopped over the challenger's head in a joke that many considered to be distasteful. Zhang even responded to this poster, saying:

The Polish star issued a small apology on her Instagram story (H/T MMA Junkie) in res

“Hey champ. Hey Weili. I’m so sorry to make you feel bad, but I’d never make fun of sick people or a virus. I didn’t want you to get offended. I just made fun of the funny internet meme. So, so sorry, but still, I’ll see you March 7. Don’t get emotional, OK?”

It was certainly unintentional on Jedrzejczyk's part but when you're in the public spotlight constantly, you must be careful of what you post on social media. This incident attracted a little negative attention but hopefully, Zhang accepts her apology and everything is put aside.

This incident aside, there has been no bad blood between the Polish former Champion and Zhang. They meet in the co-main event of UFC 248, where Jedrzejczyk will look to become a 2-time Strawweight Champion.

Zhang is the first Chinese and Asian Champion in UFC history. Many consider her to be the favorite heading into this fight but Jedrzejczyk is far from done. As we've seen between Jedrzejczyk, Jessica Andrade, and Rose Namajunas, "MMA math" can be a bit more complicated than people realize and as the saying goes - styles make fights.

Who do you think will walk out of UFC 248 as the Strawweight Queen? Voice your thoughts in the comments below.