Yan Xiaonan: Home fans in China still side with champ Zhang Weili ahead of UFC 300

LAS VEGAS – After decisions in her first seven UFC wins, Yan Xiaonan raised a bunch of eyebrows when she starched former champion Jessica Andrade nearly a year ago.

That win, coupled with one over the highly touted Mackenzie Dern, pushed Xiaonan (17-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) to what will be the biggest moment of her career: a title shot against strawweight champ Zhang Weili (24-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) in the UFC 300 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) co-main event Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The fight is an important one: It will be the first all-China title fight in UFC history. But Xiaonan said Weili remains the more popular of the two in their home country.

“There are still more people supporting her,” Xiaonan said at Wednesday’s media day. “But I have my family, my friends and my coaching team supporting me. All my people will support me. To me, that’s enough.”

A win for Xiaonan would be one of the biggest upsets in UFC title fight history. Weili is a 5-1 favorite in the fight – bigger than she’s ever been in the UFC. And Xiaonan never has been that big of an underdog.

An upset could at least stem the tide of Weili’s popularity and shift some of it to Xianonan in China. But the challenger will take that as it comes. For Saturday, she’ll be focused on showing the odds are off.

“Weili is a great fighter. Every fight, she shows that to everybody,” Xiaonan said. “But I also believe I’m a good fighter. I think I will show you guys the best version of myself.”

You can watch Xiaonan’s full media day session in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.