UFC Fight Night 211: China’s Yan Xiaonan says Mackenzie Dern holds no fear, as pair look to get careers back on track
- Sixth-ranked strawweight faces American Mackenzie Dern as both fighters seek return to title contention
- ‘I never give up. I think this fight means the UFC see something special in me,’ says Yan
Yan Xiaonan is being shadowed by the two straight losses that derailed her run towards a shot at the UFC strawweight title, but the Chinese fighter prefers not to pay them any attention at all.
“You move on and you work even harder,” Yan said. “And that’s what’s got me here today – hard work.”
The here – and the now – for the sixth-ranked Yan (15-3, one no contest) is her bout with the fifth-ranked American Mackenzie Dern (12-2) at this weekend’s UFC Fight Night 211 in Las Vegas.
It will mark the first time the 33-year-old from Shenyang in China’s northeast has headlined a UFC event – although it comes at the tail-end of what is the very first losing streak of a career that stretches right back to 2008.
“You know, I never give up,” Yan said. “After all these years and all this work, I never give up, since day one. I just keep walking forward towards my goals and I keep working. I think this fight means the UFC have seen that, they see something special in me and they trust and believe in me. They know I am at the highest level and that makes me feel very good.”
The first Chinese woman to sign with the UFC went 6-0 from 2017 to 2021 and was being touted as a title contender before meeting a surging Carla Esparza (19-6) and falling to a TKO in the second round.
Yan got the game plan all wrong that night against the American, as Esparza took her down and cut her bad – and then moved on in her next fight to claim the strawweight crown from Rose Namajunas (11-5).