LAS VEGAS – UFC strawweight champion Zhang Weili sees major improvements in Yan Xiao Nanand the game.
Weili (24-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) defends his title against Xiaonan (17-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) in the co-main event of Saturday’s UFC 300 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) at T- Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. In the promotion’s first all-Chinese title fight, Weili has the honor of representing his country on the big stage.
“This is another fight for me, but on the other hand, it also means a lot for the development and growth of the sport of MMA in China,” Weili told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter at Wednesday’s media day. .
Xiaonan is coming off consecutive victories over Mackenzie Dern, followed by a knockout over Jéssica Andrade. Weili was especially impressed by Xiaonan’s physicality.
“I see that Xiaonan has grown a lot,” Weili said. “mainly in her strength, as well as in grappling, on the ground, everything.”
Weili recently moved to Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas to work with coach John Wood, which led to dominant title wins over Carla Esparza and Amanda Lemos.
“We actually started working together since my fight with Carla, so we’ve been working together for a while now,” Weili said. “I think he’s super intelligent and we align our vision, our style, how to train together. So, it’s been a really good work experience.”
For more information on the card, visit the MMA Junkie events hub to UFC 300.
