Face Off! Dern Stares Down Yan In Vegas!

Strawweight contenders Mackenzie Dern and Xiaonan Yan came face-to-face at the conclusion of the UFC Vegas 61 weigh ins on Friday, just one day in front of their 115-pound main event on Sat. night (Oct. 1, 2022) inside APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Check out their staredown video embedded above.

Dern (12-2) is ranked No. 5 in the strawweight division and a “W” over Yan will mark her second straight and her sixth win in her last seven attempts. More importantly, the grappling ace will join a very short list of eligible strawweight title contenders.

But only in victory.

Yan (15-3, 1 NC) is ranked one spot below Dern at No. 6 but has not enjoyed as much success in recent fights. “Fury” is looking to snap a two-fight losing streak, which came against Carla Esparza and Marina Rodriguez, two of the best strawweights in the division.

The UFC Vegas 61 headliner will be make or break for one of these contenders.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 61 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN+ preliminary card bouts at 4 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN+ main card start time at 7 p.m. ET.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC Vegas 61 news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive here. For the updated and finalized “Dern vs. Yan” fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.