Zhang Weili opens as heavy favorite for UFC 300 title fight vs. Yan Xiaonan

The first title fight booked for UFC 300 is certainly historic, but the odds suggest it’s a mismatch.

UFC president Dana White announced earlier this week that strawweight champion Zhang Weili will put her belt on the line against fellow Chinese fighter Yan Xiaonan on April 13 at UFC 300 in Las Vegas. The bout will mark the first time in UFC history that two athletes from China will square off in a championship bout.

As special as the meeting will be, Weili (24-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) has opened as a heavy betting favorite against Xiaonan (15-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC). According to DraftKings, Weili is listed at -325, with Xiaonan coming back as a +260 underdog. This means a $100 bet on Xiaonan would pay out $260; a bettor would need to wager $325 on Weili in order to win $100.

Weili, No. 2 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie women’s pound-for-pound rankings and No. 1 strawweight, is in search of her second title defense, something she was unable to achieve during her first title reign at 115 pounds. After reclaiming the belt with a dominant performance against Carla Esparza in November 2022, Weili cruised to a unanimous decision win over Amanda Lemos last August at UFC 292.

Looking to unseat Weili will be No. 5 Xiaonan, who is riding the momentum of back-to-back victories over Mackenzie Dern by majority decision and most recently a knockout of former champ Jessica Andrade last May. Xiaonan has lost just two bouts in her past 18 fights dating back to October 2010.