UFC Fight Night 211 free fight: Yan Xiaonan batters Karolina Kowalkiewicz

Yan Xiaonan will attempt to return to winning form in the next main event on the UFC schedule.

Xiaonan (13-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) is slated to meet Mackenzie Dern (12-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) in the UFC Fight Night 211 main event on Oct. 1 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and she seeks a rebound from a current two-fight losing skid.

Prior to dropping back-to-back fights against Marina Rodriguez and Carla Esparza, Xiaonan put together six consecutive victories to begin her UFC tenure.

One of those wins came against former title challenger Karolina Kowalkiewicz (13-7 MMA, 6-7 UFC), who Xiaonan thoroughly defeated by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 168 on Feb 23, 2020 in Auckland.

The matchup, which was the featured contest on the card in the strawweight division, saw China’s Xiaonan overwhelm her Polish foe in all areas, even picking up a 10-8 round on the scorecards.

The win elevated Xiaonan’s stock in the 115-pound division, and just over two years later she finds herself in a UFC main event for the first time.

Watch the video above to see Xiaonan’s performance against Kowalkiewicz (courtesy of the UFC’s YouTube channel), and check out MMA Junkie’s photo gallery below.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 211.