Last year, Chinese women's MMA (mixed martial arts) stars Zhang Weili and Yan Xiaonan both said after their victory that they hoped to start a "Chinese derby" and work together to show the world the power of Chinese women. Now, the long-awaited UFC "China Derby" has finally taken place.
On January 11, Beijing time, the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) officially announced: Zhang Weili and Yan Xiaonan's women's strawweight championship fight will be staged in UFC 300 on April 14. This will also be the first time in the history of the UFC that a champion from China will face off against a compatriot challenger, and the two Chinese fighters will make history again.
As the division's reigning champion, Zhang Weili currently owns a 24-4 record, including 11 knockouts and eight submissions. In 2019, Zhang Weili became China's first UFC World Champion by TKO (technical knockout) Andrade. The following year, Zhang Weili played the "best matchup in women's MMA history" with former champion Joanna.
After losing the belt to Rose, in 2022, Zhang Weili had a rematch with Joanna and won by knockout. In the same year, Zhang Weili, who completed the "upgrade", defeated Carla Esparza by submission in New York and won the gold for the second time. In August last year, Zhang Weili defended her title against Brazil's Lemos, showing not only great improvement in her wrestling skills, but also striking an astonishing 288 to 21 to win by unanimous decision and successfully defend her title.
Yan Xiaonan is the first Chinese female player to sign with the UFC, and is also the best Chinese female player in the UFC except for Zhang Weili, with a current record of 17 wins, 3 losses, and 1 result, including 8 KO wins. Yan's style focuses on striking strikes, and his punches and legs are extremely good. So far, she's won eight fights inside the Octagon. Last May, she became the first woman in the strawweight division to knock out Andrade in the first round of a digital match. After the bout, she moved up to second in the division's official rankings, earning her a shot at the title.
It is understood that this UFC digital match will be staged in Las Vegas on April 14, Beijing time. In addition to the championship match between Zhang Weili and Yan Xiaonan, a number of blockbuster matchups will also be played at the same time, and Migu will broadcast the entire event live.
Courtesy of UFC.