Zhang Weili will defend her UFC women's strawweight championship against Yan Xiaonan at UFC 300. It is the first championship bout officially announced for UFC's milestone card at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on April 13.
Zhang vs. Yan was announced by UFC president Dana White late Wednesday evening. He described it as one of the title fights planned for the card and did not label it the main event. The UFC CEO also promised more UFC 300 fight announcements on Thursday. The Chinese stars were widely expected to fight each other after Tatiana Suarez, another viable contender, was booked against Amanda Lemos at UFC 298 on Feb. 17.
BREAKING NEWS: Zhang vs Yan will happen at #UFC300. The first ever Chinese vs Chinese title fight. pic.twitter.com/ztyTnbCxHi
— danawhite (@danawhite) January 11, 2024
Zhang (24-3) makes the second defense of her second reign as 115-pound champion. She currently rides a three-fight winning streak comprised of a 2022 Knockout of the Year contender against Joanna Jedrzejczyk, a stoppage win over Carla Esparza to reclaim the title and a one-sided decision win over Lemos. Yan is currently ranked No. 2 in the UFC's official women's strawweight rankings with consecutive wins over Mackenzie Dern and former champion Jessica Andrade.
Zhang vs. Yan joins four fights already announced for UFC 300: Charles Oliveira vs. Arman Tsarukyan, Jiri Prochazka vs. Aleksandar Rakic, Calvin Kattar vs. Aljamain Sterling and Bo Nickal vs. Cody Brundage.