In a landmark event at UFC 300, history was made as two Chinese fighters, Zhang Weili and Yan Xiaonan, clashed in a highly anticipated strawweight title bout at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada.
Zhang Weili emerged victorious with a unanimous decision of 49-45 after five intense rounds, successfully defending her strawweight belt. The match was a showcase of contrasting fighting styles, with Yan leveraging her aggressive stand-up techniques, securing eight of her previous 17 wins by knockout, and landing several knockdowns against Zhang.
Despite Yan's strong performance on the feet, Zhang posed a significant threat with her ground game. She had multiple opportunities to take Yan down and dominate from the top position. However, fatigue set in during the second round, allowing Yan to escape Zhang's holds repeatedly.
This victory marks Zhang's fifth win in title bouts, placing her just one behind Poland's Hall of Fame fighter Joanna Jedrzejczyk, the second-most among all women's strawweight fighters. Zhang expressed her respect for Yan after the fight, stating, \"Yan is a true warrior and she is so resilient. I respect her very much and hope we can become friends after this fight.\"
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Zhang Weili defends UFC strawweight belt in Chinese derby at UFC 300
cgtn.com
