- Weili Zhang defeated Yan Xianan at UFC 300, with the judges awarding her a unanimous victory
- The women’s strawweight bout marked the first time two Chinese fighters fought for a UFC title
- UFC 300 LIVE: Alex Pereira takes on Jamahal Hill for the light heavyweight title in the main event after Max Holloway’s INCREDIBLE last-second KO
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Zhang Weili twice came within seconds of Yan Xiaonan’s finish as she put in a dominant performance to retain her women’s strawweight title at UFC 300.
Saturday’s co-main event marked the first time two Chinese fighters battled for a title in promotion history and the pair produced a drama-packed showdown at T-Mobile Arena.
Just minutes after Max Holloway’s last-second KO of Justin Gaethje, Zhang appeared to have secured a buzzer-beater of her own when she locked in a rear-naked choke in the closing seconds of the first round.
Yan looked close to submission but held on and was saved at the end of the round, although there was some confusion as to whether the challenger had actually briefly fallen unconscious.
After recovering between rounds, Yan was immediately forced onto the back foot in the second.
Zhang Weili defeated Yan Xiaonan in the co-main event of UFC 300 to retain her women’s strawweight championship
Zhang seemed to have secured a first round victory, but Yan was able to survive until the end of the round
The 34-year-old looked to have secured another finish in the next frame, but Yan recovered to reach the end of the fight
An exhausted Zhang was forced to rely on her wrestling throughout, but was able to see through the fight and defend her title
Referee Jason Herzog looked ready to intervene after Zhang secured a dominant position and started raining down strikes, but Yan was eventually able to reverse the position and once again survive until the end of the round.
After twice coming within seconds of finishing the fight, Zhang appeared severely fatigued in the third, swinging the pendulum back in her opponent’s favor.
However, Zhang reasserted her control of the third in the penultimate round, once again taking the challenger’s back and looking for a submission, but was again denied.
Yan’s wrestling shortcomings were exposed in the closing stages, as the champion once again managed to secure a dominant position and threaten submissions en route to a decisive victory.