UFC: China’s ‘Mulan’ Wu Yanan has got her mind right for return

It’s easy to overlook the fact that Wu Yanan is just 25 years old, given everything the Chinese bantamweight has gone through both inside and outside the cage.

Partly that’s due to the fact the Chaoyang-born fighter has been fighting as a professional since she was just 16, and part of it is due to the fact that she’s already been in the UFC for five years. And then there’s the injuries, the cancelled fights and the losses that “Mulan” has endured over the past few years. Enough to test anyone’s patience – and commitment.

But Wu (12-4) is as quick to acknowledge the hard times as she is ready to consign them to the past, as she gears up for her return to the cage at UFC Vegas 51 this weekend, where she’ll face Brazilian Mayra Bueno Silva (7-2-1).

“There have been a lot of times when I have just felt like s*** and I’ve asked myself why these troubles always happen,” says Wu. “I have wanted to quit but I know if I quit I won’t get the money I want to give my family so they can live a good life, and I won’t get the honour that goes with fighting. So that’s what keeps me focused on the path I am on and that’s what keeps me moving forward.”

Wu’s last fight was a loss to Panama’s Joselyne Edwards (10-4) back at UFC Fight Island 7 in January 2021, a fight that saw Wu overwhelmed late, when the bout was there for the taking. Wu has seen six fights cancelled, for one reason or another, and she’s struggled through a knee injury, and to a record now in the UFC that reads 1-3. But the Las Vegas-based organisation have seen – like everyone who has watched Wu fight – the flashes of talent, and the potential.

In the lead up to Sunday’s fight, Wu has been working with Joey Villasenor, and a support act that includes former UFC bantamweight champion Holly Holm (14-5), at Jackson Wink MMA Academy in New Mexico. Wu says a lot of the work has been about building her confidence.

“The injuries I’ve had still bother me but I think it’s inevitable for athletes – everybody who fights will suffer this way,” says Wu. “But what I learned this time around, during the recovery process, is that even though my leg is weaker now my heart and brain is stronger. You know, as a fighter, you need to learn how to think and how to fight and the last thing sometimes is how physically strong you are. It’s all about what you think and that’s where I am now stronger.”

Coming into Sunday’s bout at the UFC Apex facility, Wu knows she needs the win – and that work on her confidence seems to be paying off.

“Ten years ago I honestly didn’t know anything,” says Wu. “The only thing that was in my mind was just to hit that woman in the head. But I have learned strategy, and to think like a pro fighter and that’s the biggest difference between then and now.

“Anything can happen in an MMA fight so I will try my best to make sure the fight doesn’t go to the judges. Everybody has said her jujitsu is great, well I can say my jujitsu is not so bad as well. They say she is a black belt, well I don’t give a f***. Everybody is the same when they get a punch.”

China’s other main interest in Sunday’s card comes in the shape of bantamweight Heili Alateng (14-8-2), a fighter also hoping to learn from past mistakes, no least of which was the cage grabbing that cost him a point in the last round – and the win – last time out against American Gustavo Lopez (12-6-1).

The bout was called a draw, and the “Mongolian Knight” had been able to land some decent shots on Lopez in the first two rounds so put it down to a great opportunity missed. The 30-year-old is still shaking his head at the memory but has vowed to consign the mistake to the past when he steps in against American veteran Kevin Croom (21-14, one no contest).

“Victory was already in my pocket last time,” says Heili. “But then I made a mistake and I gave it away. So the positive is I knew I won the fight and I know I can win again. You know at the beginning of my UFC career I was just a wrestler. I even thought only like a wrestler.

“Now I’m more well-rounded and I know I can fight in the UFC and I belong in the UFC. I can wrestle but I can also knock out people and I know how to strike. If there is an opportunity, I will finish him for sure. But I have also prepared for three rounds. I am ready for every possibility.”