Five rounds of the battle are over, and for the first time in UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) history, a World Title fight between two Chinese athletes has come to an end.
In the UFC 300 on April 14, Beijing time, the current women's strawweight champion Zhang Weili defeated Yan Xiaonan, who is ranked No. 1 in the division, and successfully defended the belt.
The scene of the competition. UFC China offers
As the first female boxer to sign with the UFC, Yan Xiaonan is currently ranked No. 1, and her previous 18-3-1 inconclusive record and 8 knockouts prove her strength. But the hot Zhang Weili was the more favored side before the game.
In the first round, Yan Xiaonan performed well, not only successfully knocked down Zhang Weili, but also knocked out her opponent with heavy punches at one point.
Later in the round, Zhang took Yan down on the edge of the cage net and threw her a rear-naked choke, but Yan held out until the end of the round, though her performance at the end of the round suggests that she was likely to faint briefly. After the game, Zhang Weili revealed, "At that time, I thought the game was almost over, but Xiaonan quickly eased up. ”
After the next two rounds, Yan Xiaonan gradually recovered his form and showed great resilience, not only did not give his opponent a chance to finish the match, but also knocked him down multiple times.
That tenacity fueled Zhang's fighting spirit, and with her superior experience and strength, she quickly found her rhythm and gained the upper hand with multiple takedowns and ground presses to win the decision to successfully defend her UFC Women's Strawweight Title for the second time in a row.
Zhang Weili:
Xiao Nan is a very good fighter
"Yan Xiaonan is a very good fighter, I have felt her desire to win many times in the fight, and I hope we can become good friends after this fight. After the game, Zhang Weili said to the audience in English, "Thank you very much for your support to the Chinese girls, and I hope that more people can come to China to know and understand China." ”
"For the whole of Chinese MMA
It's a step forward."
Zhang Weili is currently China's most influential mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter, and every step of her career has been in the spotlight since defeating Andrade in 2019 to become China's and Asia's first UFC World Champion.
Although Rose's losses in two fights cost her the belt, after more than 500 days of hibernation, she regained the strawweight belt by submitting Carla Esparza by rear-naked choke.
In August last year, Zhang Weili defended her title against Amanda Lemos, hitting a huge number advantage of 288 to 21.
"For us, it's just a fight, but for the whole Chinese MMA, it's a step forward. Zhang Weili said.
"We want more people to know
The strength of Chinese girls in this project"
This is Yan's 21st UFC fight and her first championship fight. At UFC 288 last May, Yan Xiaonan became one of the toughest challengers for the strawweight belt by first-round TKO (technical knockout) of former strawweight champion Jessica Andrade.
Before the game, Yan Xiaonan said, "I was not favored by many people when I played in the past, but I played a wonderful game. In her opinion, as long as she is doing her best and playing well, she will always be motivated to win the championship.
The more important significance of this "China Derby" is that "we want more people to understand the strength of Chinese girls in this sport, attract more young Chinese fighters to participate in MMA, and look forward to the emergence of more world champions in China in the future." Yan Xiaonan said.
Source: China Youth Daily (ID: zqbcyol Collation: Zhang Liyou) Synthesized from the client of China Youth Daily (China Youth Daily, China Youth Network reporter Liang Xuan)