On April 14, Beijing time, the UFC 300 event kicked off in Las Vegas, USA.
In the women's strawweight championship match, which attracted the most attention from Chinese audiences, Zhang Weili defeated another Chinese player, Yan Xiaonan, to defend her belt.
It was a fierce contest that caused Zhang Weili a lot of trouble with her striking in the first few rounds, with multiple accurate hits, while Yan Xiaonan showed great resilience and stubbornly carried it to the end of the round while being choked by Zhang.
In the third round, Zhang's fitness declined, but the more well-rounded Zhang stopped striking Yan Xiaonan in the next two rounds, and gained the advantage through multiple takedowns and ground pressing, and finally won by decision.
This is another important victory for Zhang Weili, and Yan Xiaonan, who lost, also let people see her strength. For the Chinese MMA sport, this is a milestone battle.
The historic Chinese derby between the two Chinese fighters in the UFC title fight is the best way to show China's power.
Before the match, Yan Xiaonan said: "I am proud of this Chinese derby, which proves that China's MMA sport is making a breakthrough. A championship match between two Chinese players will make more people pay attention to our sport, more people will come to know and contact this sport, and China will win more championships in the future. ”
Zhang Weili has a similar opinion, "Personally, this is a fight, but for Chinese MMA, it has stepped on a new level. ”
"Through my own efforts, I won the championship step by step, Xiaonan has not been easy along the way, without resilience and persistence, neither of us will come here...... It is believed that this competition will inspire more people to join the sport. ”
As China's first female UFC fighter, Yan Xiaonan has won six consecutive victories after entering the octagon, while Zhang Weili has transformed from a UFC rookie to a women's strawweight champion in just over a year.
In March 2020, Zhang Weili and the former champion Joanna were not only rated as the best event of the year, but also allowed Zhang Weili to achieve a "breakthrough" in China.
2021 has been a rough year for Zhang Weili and Yan Xiaonan, Zhang Weili lost the belt to Rose, and her rematch revenge failed, while Yan Xiaonan also suffered a defeat in the championship qualifying match with former champion Esparza.
Thankfully, the strong won't be easily defeated, as Zhang Weili regained the belt with back-to-back victories over Joanna and Esparza, while Yan Xiaonan also knocked out Dunn and Andrade to become No. 1 in the strawweight division, and the Chinese derby was staged.
Before the game, Zhang Weili had a higher support rate, including Joanna, Rose, Grasso, Hudo and other UFC celebrities were unanimously optimistic that Zhang Weili would win the game, and Usman was one of the few insiders who were optimistic about Yan Xiaonan.
In terms of data, Forbes pointed out that Zhang Weili averaged 5.94 obvious blows per minute, with a hit rate of 51%, and Yan Xiaonan had 5.55 obvious blows per minute, with a hit rate of 44%. In terms of anti-take, Zhang Weili is 66%, while Yan Xiaonan is 70%. Overall, Zhang Weili is a well-rounded fighter with strong finishing ability.
Although Yan Xiaonan is good at striking and fighting, he has only one finish in the UFC (that is, the last knockout of Andrade), which means that it is difficult for Yan Xiaonan to win by decision or finish, in addition, Yan Xiaonan lacks the test of 5 rounds of the championship, while Zhang Weili has fought as many as 6 championship fights.
The final trend of the game was also in line with pre-match expectations, and Zhang Weili showed more ability. After winning this Chinese derby, it became possible for Zhang Weili, who dominates the strawweight division, to upgrade to the double.
Through this championship match, Yan Xiaonan also showed good competitiveness, just like she said before the game, "Don't forget your original intention, you have to always", I believe that Yan Xiaonan still has a chance to make a comeback in the future.