China's UFC warriors on title-fight collision course

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is witnessing something huge in the making as Yan Xiaonan's inexorable rise propels her toward an all-Chinese title bout against reigning strawweight champion Zhang Weili.

Yan's defeat of Brazilian Claudia Gadelha on Saturday in Las Vegas has pushed the 31-year-old into the 115-pound division's top five to earn her a potential shot at the belt.

Outlasting Gadelha with her power and agility, Yan notched her sixth straight triumph－all via unanimous decision－since joining the Vegas-based promotion in August 2017.

"It's up to the UFC. From the moment I won, I've been ready to challenge the champion. I can fight anytime as long as they call me up," Yan said in a post-fight online interview.

"I hope Weili can keep winning until the day we meet in a Chinese derby, which I hope can be staged in China so that all of the world's MMA fans can understand just how powerful Chinese women are in this sport."

Fans, though, will need to be patient, with former champion Rose 'Thug' Namajunas of the United States being lined up by the UFC as Zhang's next challenger.

Namajunas earned a title shot in July after a split-decision victory over Brazil's Jessica Andrade, who was dethroned by Zhang in August 2019.

Should Zhang (21-1) come out on top in that as-yet-unconfirmed matchup, the 'Magnum' will cross paths with Yan (31-1), who believes she has what it takes to dethrone a compatriot she counts as an inspiration.

"She is the best in the division but I am a strong fighter as well," said Yan, who represents China Top Team, coached by former men's featherweight fighter Zhang Tiequan, the first Chinese signed by the UFC in 2010.

"Facing Zhang I think my advantage will be my speed and movement. We are both Chinese so I think I know how to fight her better than anyone else.

"The result could go either way depending on our form on that day, but to go for a challenge against her I have to be 200 percent confident in myself."

With MMA's profile on the rise in China since Zhang's title-winning heroics, the Chinese "derby" could be a game-changer for the combat sport in the world's most populous nation.

"It's crazy, and so quickly, too," UFC president Dana White told ESPN on Saturday of the prospect of an all-Chinese showdown. "Yan obviously beat a very tough vet in Claudia tonight, and we'll see what's next for her."

Despite its enormous commercial appeal, a Zhang/Yan fight is unlikely to happen in China any time soon while the current pandemic-related travel restrictions remain in place. Since resuming the action in May following a two-month hiatus, UFC events have been staged in bio-secure bubbles in Las Vegas and Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.

With all incoming travelers to China still required to quarantine, Yan said she will remain in the US to receive treatment on some minor injuries and to continue honing her anti-grappling defense with her team.

Developing a solid striking style from sanda, aka Chinese kickboxing, Yan's ground skills improved dramatically during a pre-fight training program at the Team Alpha Male gym in Sacramento, California, where countryman Song Yadong, a bantamweight UFC fighter, is based.

"I am still not quite satisfied with my fight. I can see room for improvement in my ground control and grappling skills," said Yan, a Liaoning native.

With 12 active Chinese fighters signed on official contracts, the UFC has kept investing in its talent development program in China with high hopes of nurturing more world champions like Zhang.

The promotion opened the UFC Performance Institute in Shanghai last year to facilitate the training of athletes selected from local MMA clubs and martial arts schools to enter its talent pipeline on scholarship programs.