Yan Xiaonan

Nine

China

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.
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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.
Doesn't get call from judges
StrawweightUFC
March 5, 2022
Yan lost to Marina Rodriguez via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 28-29) at UFC 272 on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
This was an excellent, back-and-forth fight which resulted in another questionable call from the judges. Yan clearly faded as the fight progressed, and Rodriguez was unquestionably the better fight in Round 3, but there is a clear case to be made that Yan did enough over the course of the first ten minutes to win. The two women fought to remarkably equal footing on the feet in Rounds 1 and 2, although Yan managed to land a takedown in each frame. Win or lose, this was a strong bounce-back effort from Yan on the heels of her knockout loss to Carla Esparza last May. It's imperative Yan win her next time out in order to avoid a three-fight losing streak, but she clearly remains near the top of the heap in what is a thin 115-pound female division.
Looking to bounce back in March
StrawweightUFC
December 29, 2021
Xiaonan will take on Marina Rodriguez in a strawweight bout at the UFC event March 5, Paradigm Sports reports.
ANALYSIS
Xiaonan suffered an ugly loss back in May at the hands of Carla Esparza. Prior to that she was on the verge of earning a title shot having won her first six fights in the UFC. Rodriguez on the other hand is coming in having earned an impressive unanimous decision win over Mackenzie Dern in October.