Yan Xiaonan

Nine

China

Hangs tough in title bout loss
StrawweightUFC
April 13, 2024
Yan came up short in her quest for the UFC Women's Strawweight Championship, falling to Zhang Weili via unanimous decision (45-49, 45-49, 45-49) at UFC 300 in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
Yan had a legitimate chance to win this fight, which is absolutely insane considering she essentially lost it on two separate occasions. Yan was literally choked unconscious at the end of Round 1, but was saved by the bell and woke up immediately. She was then flattened out in Round 2, but referee Jason Herzog gave her plenty of time to work through it, and Yan somehow survived. She had far more energy than Zhang in the middle rounds and landed some massive blows including a knockdown, but the champ's wrestling game emerged once again over the course of the final ten minutes, ending Yan's dreams. Yan will be 35 years of age this coming June. She's 2-3 in her past five fight dating back to May 2021. There's an overwhelming chance this will have been her only shot at UFC gold.
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Gets shot at title
StrawweightUFC
January 10, 2024
Xiaonan is scheduled to face Zhang Weili for the UFC Strawweight Championship at UFC 300 in Las Vegas on April 13, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Xiaonan pulled off the upset victory over Jessica Andrade in her last fight, and she'll now officially get a shot at the strawweight title. Xiaonan has entered as the underdog in each of her last two fights, and the trend will likely continue versus Weili. However, Weili is no stranger to having the title taken from her.
Closing in on title shot after win
StrawweightUFC
May 6, 2023
Yan defeated Jessica Andrade via KO (punch) at 2:21 of Round 1 at UFC 288 on Saturday in Newark, New Jersey.
ANALYSIS
It's hands down the biggest victory of Yan's career and one that puts her potentially in line for a title shot. Entering as a +150 underdog, Yan took advantage of her uber-aggressive opponent, clipping the reckless Andrade with a right hand which sent her straight to the mat and resulted in referee Vitor Ribeiro calling off the bout, as well as a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus. Yan entered the evening with a 7-2 record in the UFC, but all seven of those wins came via decision. An emphatic victory over Andrade gives Yan a real case to be next up for fellow Chinese fighter and UFC Women's Strawweight Champion Zhang Weili. The UFC is, first and foremost, a business, and that fight would be a shrewd business decision with respect to expanding its audience overseas.
Taking on Jessica Andrade
StrawweightUFC
March 3, 2023
Xiaonan agreed to face Jessica Andrade in a strawweight bout at UFC's May 6 event, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Xiaonan defeated Mackenzie Dern in October for her first victory since November of 2020 and will return to the Octagon in May. Andrade picked up her first loss in four bouts in February against Erin Blanchfield, though it's worth noting Andrade stepped in to take the fight with only a week's notice.
Pulls upset of Mackenzie Dern
StrawweightUFC
October 1, 2022
Yan defeated Mackenzie Dern via majority decision (48-47, 48-47, 47-47) at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
This one played out exactly how many expected, which is just fine for Yan because she was the one that emerged victorious. Yan was clearly the more competent and composed striking whenever the two women were standing at distance, which comes as no surprise given Dern's shortcomings on the feet. Yan spent a massive chunk of both the third and final rounds pinned to the mat, but she did a decent enough job of defending herself, at least to the satisfaction of two of the three judges who didn't give Dern a 10-8 score. Given the fact Yan doesn't have a single knockout victory during her time with the company, this was about the only way she could have won this fight. Yan's 7-2 mark in her first nine UFC bouts looks reasonable enough, but she's had difficulty with better competition. The good news for the 33-year-old is that this victory snaps a brief two-fight losing streak and keeps her in theoretical contention in what remains a painfully thin 115-pound female division.
Set to face Mackenzie Dern
StrawweightUFC
July 8, 2022
Xiaonan will face Mackenzie Dern in a strawweight contest at UFC Fight Night on October 1st.
ANALYSIS
Xiaonan is looking to bounce back after two consecutive losses. She has very similar measurables to Dern, coming in at an inch taller and with the same wingspan. Xiaonan hasn't fought since March, when she lost to Marina Rodriguez by decision.