Are smelling salts allowed in the UFC? Fact-checking the Yan Xiaonan controversy at UFC 300
Yan Xiaonan's performance against Zhang Weili at UFC 300 has brought up a conversation surrounding the use of smelling salts in the UFC, which the UFC rules don't explicitly specify. After a competitive first few minutes, Yan found herself on the mat, where Zhang trapped her in a rear-naked choke.
However, the choke was applied in the dying seconds of the round, which allowed Yan to barely scrape through. As it turned out, the strawweight title challenger had seemingly fallen unconscious. Technically, 'Magnum' had won the fight via submission.
Unfortunately, the call wasn't made by the referee. Worse still, after Yan was escorted to her corner, the cutman was picked up by the microphone claiming that he could awaken her using smelling salts, which is illegal, just as Greg Hardy's use of an inhaler in the past was.
Check out Yan Xiaonan's corner using Vaseline to awaken her:
"Are you allowed to do that?” - Joe Rogan on Yan Xiaonan's smelling salt controversy
After Daniel Cormier claimed that Xiaonan's corner allegedly used smelling salt, Joe Rogan mused, "Are you allowed to do that?". The conversation sparked fan debates on social media on the legitimacy of Xiaonan continuing to fight.
However, Jon Anik quickly clarified that smelling salts were not actually used to spark Yan back into her right state of mind. While the cutman suggested it, he used Vaseline instead, which is a brand of petroleum jelly. Many were confused over the suggestion of smelling salts, especially with the uncertainty surrounding its legality.
But combat sports regulatory lawyer Erik Magraken revealed in a tweet that the NSAC, which was the athletic commission regulating UFC 300, does not list smelling salts as items, etc., that are allowed to be in a fighter's corner for use. Despite Yan's gutsy performance, she was ultimately unable to win.
Zhang managed to overcome a notable disadvantage in the striking department by resorting to wrestling and grappling. While Yan managed to force the occasional scramble, she often found herself back on the mat, where she was largely controlled and even put in very poor positions.
She consistently exposed her back and had her hips flattened on several occasions, which seemed to cost her the fight.