UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) announced on the 11th Beijing time that the current women's strawweight champion and Chinese star Zhang Weili will face another Chinese player Yan Xiaonan in the title defense. This will be the first time in the history of the UFC that a "Chinese derby" will be staged in a championship match.
The matchup will be played on April 14 at the UFC300 match in Las Vegas, USA.
In August last year, Zhang Weili defended her first title since regaining the UFC strawweight title, and in an all-around crushing bout, Zhang Weili defeated Brazilian Amanda Lemos by unanimous decision to defend the belt.
Yan Xiaonan became one of the most contenders for the strawweight gold with a first-round TKO (technical knockout) victory over former strawweight champion Jessica Andrade at UFC288 last May. Before the championship match between Zhang Weili and Lemos was confirmed, Yan Xiaonan called the UFC to hope that a "Chinese derby" could be arranged, allowing her to challenge Zhang Weili, but she could not make the trip.
The 34-year-old currently has a 17-3 record and ranks second in the women's strawweight division. With third-ranked Suarez set to face fourth-ranked Lemos at UFC298, Yan is the best candidate to challenge for the gold at this stage.
*:Xinhua.
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