Yan Xiaonan got her wish, and she will challenge for the UFC strawweight title against champ Zhang Weili at UFC 300, UFC CEO Dana White announced Wednesday.
The Zhang vs. Yan fight marks the first time two Chinese fighters have challenged each other for a UFC title and bolsters the title lineup for the blockbuster event, set for April 13 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“This fight has badass written all over it,” White said on Instagram.
Yan, who’s gone 6-2 in her past eight fights, hoped to fight for the title in China, and she told The MMA Hour that White backed the idea. Surprisingly, she estimated she had more “haters” in her native country than fans. But now, the challenger won’t have to deal with that as she and the champ head to the UFC’s backyard.
In her most recent outing, Yan knocked out ex-champ Jessica Andrade at UFC 288 to extend her current winning streak to two fights. The streak came from a two-fight skid that included setbacks against ex-champ Carla Esparza and Marina Rodriguez.
Zhang attempts the second title defense of her second reign as UFC strawweight champ. She most recently defended the belt by outpointing Amanda Lemos at UFC 292.
UFC 300 still is without a headliner, and White has promised “at least” two more announcements on the banner fight card on Thursday. A pivotal lightweight fight between ex-champ Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan is among several high-profile bouts headed to the card.