Dana White and the UFC hint at a potential straweight title bout for their return to China between the champion Zhang Weili and Yan Xiaonan. Weili has been on the shelf ever since she won the title after finishing Carla Esparza in round 2 back in November 2022.
Yan Xiaonan says she met Dana White in the locker room after UFC 288 to talk about fighting Zhang Weili for the title in China 🇨🇳 #TheMMAHour
▶️ https://t.co/bP70AYFsnN pic.twitter.com/CWJgZuOlXp
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) May 8, 2023
There are no rumblings when she will be coming back but we know who she will be when she returns. It's already been said that Yan Xiaonan is next in line for a title shot after her performance. She did the unthinkable and starched Jessica Andrade in the very first round. Dana White immediately called for Xiaonan to fight Weili for the title next.
YAN XIAONAN PAR KO!!#UFC288
— La Sueur (@LaSueur_off) May 7, 2023
If and when the UFC return to China with the straweight title on the line it will be the first time they would be back since August 2019. That event saw Zhang Weili capture the straweight title for the first time in her career. She was the first fighter to knock out Jessica Andrade at straweight.
Zhang Weili went on to defend her title against Joanna Jedrzejczyk before losing it to Rose Namajunas. Weili was then able to win her title back after a dominant performance against the former champion Carla Esparza.
This would be the first-ever China vs. China matchup for the straweight title in China. This would be a great get for the UFC and the Chinese fans. Let's hope we get this fantastic matchup between these two talented fighters sooner rather than later this year.
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