Conor McGregor weighs in on the UFC looking to return to China with Zhang Weili vs. Yan Xiaonan bout
Conor McGregor seems excited for a potential Zhang Weili vs. Yan Xiaonan bout for the strawweight title in China. If this bout plays out, it will be the first native Chinese vs. Chinese fighter championship bout in UFC history.
According to Xiaonan herself on the MMA hour, via the Women's MMA Rankings Twitter handle, Dana White is looking to host Zhang Weili vs. Yan Xiaonan for the strawweight title in China, some time later this year.
Here's how Conor McGregor reacted to the news:
This would be incredible! twitter.com/wmmarankings/s…
The third fight on the UFC 288 main card featured former strawweight champion Jessica Andrade taking on Xiaonan. In what was eerily similar to the UFC Fight Night 157 title bout between Andrade and Zhang, Yan Xiaonan secured a first-round TKO victory over 'Bate Estaca'.
The Brazilian fighter rushed in, and was caught by an overhand right thrown by the Chinese fighter that floored her. The only difference between Andrade vs. Zhang and Andrade vs. Xiaonan is the fact that Zhang took out Andrade in 42 seconds while Xiaonan's finish came at 2:20 minutes of the first round.
Yan Xiaonan finishes Jessica Andrade. Holy shit! https://t.co/g7As8HwSBx
What did Yan Xiaonan say about her potential bout with Zhang Weili for the UFC strawweight title in China?
Yan Xiaonan had an emphatic first-round KO victory over Jessica Andrade in the main card of UFC 288. The surging Chinese strawweight contender was able to pick her shots against her forward-moving Brazilian counter-part. At 2:20 minutes of the first round, Xiaonan found a picture-perfect overhand right that sent Andrade to the floor.
Xiaonan landed a couple of follow-up shots before the referee stopped the contest. Following the Chinese fighter's win over the Brazilian, many speculated that Xiaonan would be next in line for a title shot. Xiaonan confirmed these speculations to be true as she said that company president Dana White is looking to book her for a strawweight title fight with the divisional champion Zhang Weili.
Here's what Yan Xiaonan said on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani:
"I met Dana in the locker room after the fight. And he was like, 'Let's do it [title fight with Zhang Weili] in China. We can make the UFC China event happen.'"
Skip to 4:27 for Xiaonan on a potential bout with Zhang Weili in China:
When asked whether a UFC event could be pulled off in China, like the UFC Fight Night 157 event in Shenzhen, Xiaonan had the following to say:
"I think it is possible, probably some point at the end of this year because China, now, is fully open [after the Covid-19 lockdowns] and everything [is] back to normal. So, I think, yeah it's possible."