The Ultimate Fighting Championship's (UFC) slow, steady expansion into China continues this weekend with UFC Fight Night 157: Andrade vs. Zhang at the Shenzhen Universiade Sports Center.

Though the event is in a considerably less famous locale than Shanghai and Beijing – the locations of the first two mainland UFC events – and still only a Fight Night event that is broadcast on free TV in the U.S. compared to the big monthly events which are on pay per view and are the UFC's bread and butter, it has the potential to be the biggest mixed martial arts event of the year. If the main event goes a particular way, it could be a watershed moment for the sport on a global level.

Women's strawweight: Jessica Andrade (c) (26-6-0) vs. Zhang Weili (19-1-0)

It’s rare to speak in such bold terms without hyperbole, but this is a fight with history changing potential. On paper, as the first ever UFC title fight in China, it is already the most important Chinese sporting achievement of the year, and if (a very likely if) Zhang wins, it could kickstart an era of Chinese MMA that combines the glory days of Ronda Rousey with the reign of Brazil’s Chute Boxe Academy.

The challenger, Zhang Weili, is one of the very few people on the planet who can be both five feet four inches, 115 pounds and also described as a tank. As mentioned in her exclusive interview with CGTN, her nickname at the gym is "little fatty" and it's easy to see why; in photos alongside the champion, she’s significantly bigger. In a weight class that limits people to their sleekest forms, she stands out. Yet this isn't excess, it's raw power. Besides, for her very first fight, Zhang is undefeated and wins have been pretty fairly split between hard KO/TKOs and submissions.

The champion, Jessica Andrade, is no slouch. Since dropping from bantamweight in 2015, the Brazilian has only been stopped by a prime Joanna Jedrzejcyzk. Besides that, she’s been a mauler with a string of unique finishes: First the guillotine choke on Joanne Caulderwood, then the right-on-the-button KO of Karolina Kowalkiewicz and then, back in May, the kimura reversal into a slam that knocked then-champion Rose Namajunas out so hard that she has since talked of retirement.

Prediction: This will be the toughest fight of both women's careers. Zhang has a clear way to victory: She has to hit and move to do damage and avoid Andrade's immense strength. If she can do that, she'll make sporting history.

Men's Welterweight: Li Jingliang (16-5-0) vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (21-5-0)

The main event has the potential to be the greatest women's MMA fight in the history of the sport and yet this co-main has the potential to steal the show, create a moment that will instantly go viral and be featured in UFC highlight reels for years to come.

In the red corner is Li Jingliang, China's most famous fighter, and he isn't afraid of letting people know he knows. He arrived to the Q&A late, wearing sunglasses even though the storm outside reduced visibility to centimeters, and, on a day when the humidity made it 40 degrees Celsius, with an expensive-looking jumper draped around his shoulders. Backed up by a handful of Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night bonuses, and making his ranked debut, there's no chance that a knockout artist like Li isn’t going to try and separate dos Santos' head from his body – or, based on his previous UFC outing, separate his body from his limbs – with a flashy kick or a punch downloaded from The Matrix.

In the blue corner is Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos, a killing machine with a streak of seven wins in the UFC. Three of those are by insane and varied combinations, three by Fight of the Night decision wins and one by a standard decision. While Li comes into this as a superstar, dos Santos carries the type of quiet intensity that leads to easy comparisons with samurai or a Hollywood gunslinger played by Clint Eastwood.

Prediction: Someone goes home in a body bag, most likely dos Santos if Li can keep his composure.

Men’s flyweight: Kai Kara-France (19-7-0, 1 NC) vs. Mark De La Rosa (11-2-0)

When Henry Cejudo destroyed perennial flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson, everyone was excited to see a fresh face take over the division – everyone except the UFC themselves. Having notoriously struggled to market male 125-pound fighters ever since the division's inception, they were looking to send Johnson out to Asia's ONE Championship and wrap it all up. Instead, they have a charismatic and exciting champion in Cejudo, and a man like that begets a whole division, which includes these two men.

Once again, it's a head-to-head between two clashing styles, this time a clear kickboxer in New Zealand's Kara-France and a De La Rosa who is more of a grappler. "More of" is the key phrase as, 13 fights into his career, De La Rosa still doesn’t seem to have found his niche. In his UFC career, he has won two, lost two and is going back and forth between bantamweight and flyweight. Kara-France has won seven times in four years, demonstrating a focus and commitment to his style.

Prediction: Kara-France to keep it standing and win by decision, just like the rest of his UFC career.

Women's flyweight: Wu Yanan (10-2-0) vs. Mizuki Inoue (13-5-1, 1 DQ)

The UFC’s Fight Night events are designed to be showcases for new talent and this fight, currently positioned as the opener, is just that. This is the UFC debut of Japan’s Mizuki Inoue, who has been considered a top prospect of Invicta FC for a few years. While her MMA track record isn't incredible, she also has a kickboxing record of 11 wins and 2 losses and is only 24 years old. Wu Yanan, on the other hand, is making her third UFC China appearance and has a record of 10 wins and 2 losses in MMA.

On the surface, this is a fairly even match, but looking deeper into the past of both fighters, a stylistic clash stands out. Ignoring decision victories, nine of Inoue's wins are from submission and none are from KO/TKO while six of Wu's wins are KO/TKO plus she has two submission wins as well. They say styles make fights, and this has the hallmarks of a classic striker vs. grappler set up. Unfortunately, Wu missed weight by three pounds, meaning that she goes into the fight with a distinct and unfair advantage.

Prediction: Wu to win in the first or second round by KO/TKO, any longer and she's likely to be figured out, taken down and tapped out by Inoue.