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Tag: Yan Xiaonan

  • Zhang Weili’s Potential Next Opponent Emerges As Top Contender Delivers Breakout Performance At UFC 314

    Zhang Weili’s Potential Next Opponent Emerges As Top Contender Delivers Breakout Performance At UFC 314

    Virna Jandiroba may very well be next in line to challenge UFC women’s strawweight champion Weili Zhang after she came away with a dominant unanimous decision win over former title challenger and No. 1-ranked contender Yan Xiaonan at UFC 314.

    Grappling was the key for Jandiroba in this one. Though her initial attempts to get the fight to the ground were denied, when she was able to, she was dominant and had significant top position time. What else was notable was how each round ended similaly — with Jandiroba threatening an armbar, and Xiaonan being saved by the horn.

    Virna Jandiroba Dominates Yan Xiaonan En Route To Decision Win At UFC 314; Is She Next For Strawweight Title Fight?

    Xiaonan looked to bring her striking on display, especially on the third round, but it was not enough. Jandiroba had been the clear aggressive fighter for nearly all of the fight, forcing Xiaonan on the defensive nearly all fight.

    All three judges scored the fight for Jandiroba 30-27.

    Jandiroba has now won five straight after a 3-3 start to her Octagon career.

    Xiaonan was coming off a win over Tabatha Ricci. She challenged Zhang for the strawweight title 364 days ago at UFC 300, losing a decision.

  • UFC Fight Night Results & Highlights: Petr Yan Outstrikes Deiveson Figueiredo

    UFC Fight Night Results & Highlights: Petr Yan Outstrikes Deiveson Figueiredo

    UFC Fight Night: Petr Yan vs. Deiveson Figueiredo took place in the early hours of Saturday morning, and MMA News has you covered with all the action!

    After a pay-per-view inside the prestigious Madison Square Garden — and before focus turns to the UFC’s final numbered event of the year in Las Vegas — the MMA leader was on the road to stage a card in Macau for the first time in a decade.

    Headlining at the Galaxy Arena were two former champions in ex-bantamweight kingpin Yan and a two-time occupier of the flyweight throne in Figueiredo. With both men coming off wins over top-10 opposition, a shot at Merab Dvalishvili’s 135-pound gold was discussed as being in store for Saturday’s victor.

    That turned out to be Yan, with “No Mercy” putting in a vintage striking performance to sweep the scorecards.

    Elsewhere on the UFC Fight Night lineup, Yan Xiaonan emerged victorious from her first outing since falling short of the title against Zhang Weili earlier this year, Carlos Ulberg got the better of fellow hard-hitting light heavyweight contender Volkan Oezdemir, and the Road to UFC finals delivered some memorable moments on the prelims.

    With that said, see below for the full results, followed by all the best highlights.

    UFC Fight Night: Yan vs. Figueiredo Results & Highlights

    Main Card:

    • Bantamweight Main Event: Petr Yan def. Deiveson Figueiredo via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
    • Women’s Strawweight Co-Main Event: Yan Xiaonan def. Tabatha Ricci via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
    • Welterweight: Muslim Salikhov def. Song Kenan via KO (spinning wheel kick): R1, 3:49
    • Women’s Flyweight: Gabriella Fernandes def. Wang Cong via submission (rear-naked choke): R2, 3:49
    • Light Heavyweight: Carlos Ulberg def. Volkan Oezdemir via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
    • Light Heavyweight: Zhang Mingyang def. Ozzy Diaz via TKO (elbow & punches): R1, 2:25

    Preliminary Card:

    • Road to UFC Bantamweight Final: SuYoung You def. Jieleyisi Baergeng via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
    • Road to UFC Flyweight Final: DongHun Choi def. Kiru Singh Sahota via KO (punch): R1, 2:36
    • Road to UFC Women’s Strawweight Final: Ming Shi def. Xiaocan Feng via KO (head kick): R3, 0:46
    • Flyweight: Carlos Hernandez def. Nyamjargal Tumendemberel via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
    • Flyweight: Lone’er Kavanagh def. Jose Ochoa via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
    • Bantamweight: Long Xiao def. Quang Le via KO (punches): R3, 1:28
    • Lightweight: Nikolas Motta def. Hayisaer Maheshate via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

    Nikolas Motta Def. Hayisaer Maheshate

    Long Xiao Def. Quang Le

    Lone’er Kavanagh Def. Jose Ochoa

    Carlos Hernandez Def. Nyamjargal Tumendemberel

    Ming Shi Def. Xiaocan Feng

    DongHun Choi Def. Kiru Singh Sahota

    Zhang Mingyang Def. Ozzy Diaz

    Carlos Ulberg Def. Volkan Oezdemir

    Gabriella Fernandes Def. Wang Cong

    https://twitter.com/oliveirafan999/status/1860298121135423761

    Muslim Salikhov Def. Song Kenan

    Yan Xiaonan Def. Tabatha Ricci

    Petr Yan Def. Deiveson Figueiredo

    https://twitter.com/FIGHTZSS/status/1860325240682815892
  • ‘Can We Just get Zhang Weili vs. Yan Xiaonan 2?’ – Fans React As Xiaonan Dominates Tabatha Ricci In UFC Macau Co-Headliner

    ‘Can We Just get Zhang Weili vs. Yan Xiaonan 2?’ – Fans React As Xiaonan Dominates Tabatha Ricci In UFC Macau Co-Headliner

    Competing in China for the first time in six years, Yan Xiaonan made the most of the experience by putting on one of her best performances in the Octagon, defeating Tabatha Ricci in the UFC Macau co-main event.

    Xiaonan was fully on the attack in the opening round, having complete control as Ricci continuously bit down on her strikes. The Brazilian seemed to find a range by the end of the first round and took it into the second, even getting a hold of her Chinese opponent’s back at one point. But that moment only came after Xiaonan managed to wobble her.

    Ricci continued to stay on the outside in that second frame, as Xiaonan appeared to overwhelm her with the speed and crispness of her strikes. “Fury” did not deter from this strategy and went on to sweep the judges’ scorecards before calling out Zhang Weili for a strawweight title rematch.

    Yan Xiaonan Cruises To Easy Decision Win Over Tabatha Ricci At UFC Macau

    https://twitter.com/5Noxa/status/1860314605349744779

    Xiaonan now returns to the win column in her first fight since unsuccessfully challenging Zhang for the UFC women’s strawweight title at UFC 300 earlier this year. She has won three of her last four.

    Meanwhile, after a four-fight win streak between late 2021 and early 2023, Ricci is 2-2 across the four fights she’s had in the last year.

  • Yan Xiaonan, Carlos Ulberg, & More Added To UFC Macau Card On Nov. 23

    Yan Xiaonan, Carlos Ulberg, & More Added To UFC Macau Card On Nov. 23

    The lineup has come together for the mixed martial arts leader’s return to China for a UFC Fight Night card inside Macau’s Galaxy Arena.

    November 23 will see Octagon action take place in Macau for the first time in over a decade. And the promotion is set to bring plenty of notable names along with it to the Chinese region.

    That includes for the main event, which was recently revealed to pit ex-bantamweight champion Petr Yan against former two-time flyweight kingpin Deiveson Figueiredo in a crucial clash at 135 pounds.

    And while confirming that on social media, the UFC announced a number of other intriguing matchups. Of note is the next fight for China’s own Yan Xiaonan, as well as charging light heavyweight contender Carlos Ulberg.

    Seven months on from her failed title challenge against Zhang Weili (18-4, 1 NC) at UFC 300, Xiaonan will look to bounce back in front of her home fans against the #9-ranked Tabatha Ricci (11-2). “Baby Shark” has won two straight, most recently outpointing Angela Hill last month.

    Ulberg (10-1), meanwhile, will be making his return after having an injury take away his chance of competing at International Fight Week this past June, where he had matchups with both Jamahal Hill and Anthony Smith fall through.

    He’ll have the chance to consolidate his spot inside the light heavyweight top 10 when he takes on former title challenger and current #6-ranked contender Volkan Oezdemir (20-7) in Macau.

    Also of note is the addition of Wang Cong (6-0), a women’s flyweight prospect who made a thunderous UFC debut at the Apex in August. After brutally knocking out Victoria Leonardo, “The Joker” will compete on home soil in her sophomore Octagon appearance against Gabriella Fernandes (9-3).

    With these additions, the current fights expected to take place at the UFC Fight Night event in Macau on Nov. 23 are as follows:

    • Petr Yan vs. Deiveson Figueiredo (bantamweight main event)
    • Yan Xiaonan vs. Tabatha Ricci (women’s strawweight)
    • Volkan Oezdemir vs. Carlos Ulberg (light heavyweight)
    • Wang Cong vs. Gabriella Fernandes (women’s flyweight)
    • Song Kenan vs. Muslim Salikhov (welterweight)
    • Zhang Mingyang vs. Ozzy Diaz (light heavyweight)
    • Nyamjargal Tumendemberel vs. Carlos Hernandez (flyweight)
    • Lone’er Kavanagh vs. Jose Ochoa (flyweight)
    • Kangjie Zhu vs. Bin Xie (Road to UFC featherweight final)
    • SuYoung You vs. Jieleyisi Baergeng (Road to UFC bantamweight final)
    • Kiru Singh Sahota vs. DongHun Choi (Road to UFC flyweight final)
    • Xiaocan Feng vs. Ming Shi (Road to UFC women’s strawweight final)

  • Yan Xiaonan Reveals What She Learned From Carla Esparza Defeat

    Ahead of her next battle against Marina Rodriguez, Yan Xiaonan reflects on her recent defeat against Carla Esparza.

    Last May, Xiaonan saw her 11-fight win streak come to an end. The “Cookie Monster” devastated her in the cage with punches that ended the fight in round 2.

    Carla Esparza is a fierce opponent in the Octagon. Even the current strawweight champion, Rose Namajunas, was finished by Esparza when they fought back in 2014.

    Similar to Namajunas, Xiaonan felt the loss was a lesson and showed where improvements need to be made.

    Carla Esparza and Yan Xiaonan
    Carla Esparza and Yan Xiaonan, Photo Credit: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

    “The biggest lesson is you have to be ready for a big fight like that. 100% ready. Another lesson is the direction—how you prepare for the fight. So, we had some problems on that in my last fight camp. So, yeah, everything, I learned a little bit of everything in that fight,” Xiaonan told LowKickMMA.

    Most fighters will tell you that preparation for a fight is more important than the fight itself. You have to go into the ring mentally and physically fit enough to defeat your opponent.

    A bad day can lead to a bad fight just as well as being undertrained. But losing can also be a humbling experience, and many fighters have come back stronger from it.

    This Saturday, Xiaonan will face Brazil’s Marina Rodriguez at UFC 272. They hold spots in the top 5 of the strawweight rankings, and after their match, one will be much closer to the title shot.

    What are your thoughts on how Yan Xiaonan reflects on her loss to Carla Esparza?

  • Yan Xiaonan vs. Marina Rodriguez Booked For UFC 272 March 5

    Top-5 strawweights Marina Rodriguez and Yan Xiaonan are scheduled to compete on March 5.

    As first reported by MMA DNA, this high-level strawweight bout between Rodriguez and Xiaonan will take place at UFC 272. There is currently no main event announced for this card, but the location has been determined to be the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

    Marina Rodriguez may very well be one fight away from securing a title shot seeing as how she is currently riding a three-fight win streak, with wins over Amanda Ribas, Michelle Waterson, and Mackenzie Dern. Her last victory over Dern took home Fight of the Night.

    To further support the notion of Rodriguez potentially earning a title shot with a win here is the fact that the only two fighters currently ahead of her in the rankings are Carla Esparza (#2) and Zhang Weili (#1). Esparza is currently next in line to challenge Rose Namajunas, while Zhang has already lost twice to Namajunas this year.

    Yan Xiaonan was in a familiar position heading into the year. She was undefeated in the UFC and unbeaten in her last 12 fights. However, she would come up short against the grappling-heavy Carla Esparza at UFC Fight Night: Garbrandt vs. Font.

    Now, Xiaonan will have an opportunity to put on a show in this high-level striking affair against fellow trader Marina Rodriguez. With a big win here, the #4-ranked Xiaonan may very well still be live for a title-shot opportunity herself.

    With the addition of this bout, the current lineup for UFC 272 is as follows:

    Marina Rodriguez vs. Yan Xiaonan

    Edson Barboza vs. Bryce Mitchell

    Jessica Eye vs. Manon Fiorot

    Maryna Moroz vs. Mariya Agapova

    Michał Oleksiejczuk vs. Dustin Jacoby

    Tim Elliott vs. Tagir Ulanbeko

    Who is your pick to win this crucial strawweight bout between Marina Rodriguez and Yan Xiaonan?