Zhang Weili of China celebrates after defeating Carla Esparza to reclaim the women's strawweight champion in New York, the United States, on Nov 12, 2022. (MICHAEL NAGLE / XINHUA)

NEW YORK - Zhang Weili reclaimed her UFC strawweight champion on Saturday night at the Madison Square Garden in New York City by defeating two-time title holder Carla Esparza.

"I have many ways to finish the fight, submission is only one of them," Zhang said after becoming the third UFC female fighter to regain the strawweight belt.

"Today is my dream come true," zhang said.

Zhang stopped the two-time title holder Esparza by submission by a rear-naked choke at 1:05 of Round 2 when a takedown by Esparza led to a reversal by Zhang

Zhang stopped the two-time title holder Esparza by submission by a rear-naked choke at 1:05 of Round 2 when a takedown by Esparza led to a reversal by Zhang. The former champion took Esparza's back and sunk in the fight-ending submission.

Zhang became the first Asian to win the UFC title in 2019. Losing her belt to Rose Namajunas in 2021, Zhang struggled back this year with a knockout over Joanna Jedrzejczyk in June.

Saturday's match attracted thousands of Zhang's fans, some of them traveling from afar. Many of them were impressed by Zhang's amazing show of skill and strength.

READ MORE: Zhang's reinvention set for tough test

"She showed that she was a very strong and very smart fighter and I can't wait to see her fight again," Ashton from the US state of North Carolina told Xinhua after watching the show.

"I've only known her very recently. She displayed it very well and she's very strong," said Ashton, who came with her father Michael Kerekes.

Michael said he knew Zhang would win even before the match because "she was very proficient at everything better than Carla was."

"I knew that she, if it went down to the ground, she was stronger so that the wrestling wouldn't matter. And as a standup, very, very much better than Carla's was. So that's why I knew that she was gonna win a fight."

"When Carla went to her best attributes of the ground game, Zhang knew that she was gonna do that. So she overpowered her and she switched every position around to where it was gonna be in her best benefit and that's how she ended a fight."

ALSO READ: Wang wins women's singles title at Chinese national table tennis

Chen Ziran, who's been living in New York for about 5 years, brought the Chinese national flag to the match.

"I have been a fan of UFC and of course, Weili, that's why I am here to show my support," Chen told Xinhua. "I believe she will be very much encouraged seeing the national flag among the audience as she is fighting in a place far from home."