UFC 300 currently has only five announced fights, yet it is already shaping up to be a landmark event in the history of the premier MMA promotion worldwide. Dana White initially revealed three anticipated matchups for the coveted PPV: Bo Nickal vs. Cody Brundage, Aljamain Sterling vs. Calvin Kattar, and Aleksandar Rakic vs. Jiri Prochazka.
White recently announced a blockbuster lightweight number one contender fight between former champion Charles Oliveira and rising contender, Armenia’s Arman Tsarukyan. Now, White announced the first title fight for the coveted PPV.
Dana White reveals the first title clash for UFC 300
UFC CEO Dana White officially announced the first of many title fights for UFC 300 on his Instagram. The first title fight for the event is between strawweight champion Zhang Weili and second-ranked strawweight fighter Yan Xiaonan in an all-Chinese affair. With White promising to announce two more title fights, UFC fans are hyped for the event.
Zhang Weili last fought at UFC 292 where he scored a dominant unanimous decision victory over Brazilian slugger Amanda Lemos. It was her first defense of the title on her second reign. Her first reign ended when she lost via a first-round head kick KO to Rose Namajunas at UFC 261. She rematched Namajunas but again fell short as Namajunas edged out a split decision.
Namajunas went on to lose the title to Carla Esparza, and Weili rebounded with a knockout victory over Joanna Jedrzejczyk. She reclaimed the title with a second-round submission victory over Esparza at UFC 281. It’s worth noting that Zhang Weili became a big star in the UFC when she first fought Jedrzejczyk, winning a ‘Fight of the Year’ in a split decision victory.
With two more title fights promised by the UFC CEO, fans speculate a middleweight title fight and a welterweight title fight. There is also speculation of Alex Pereira moving up in weight to fight Tom Aspinall for the interim heavyweight title. Moreover, some even speculate a BMF title fight between Justin Gaethje and Max Holloway. Another fight that involves Holloway and Josh Emmet is also speculated.
Challenger Yan Xiaonan eyes strawweight glory after two-fight winning streak
Even though Zhang Weili is the champion, Yan Xioanan was the first Chinese female fighter to sign with the UFC. Xioanan will be challenging the title on a two-fight win streak that saw her score a majority decision over Mackenzie Dern and a TKO victory over Jessica Andrade.
Xioanan was on course for a title shot during her initial title run but faced successive defeats after a five-fight win streak. Her first loss in the UFC was against Carla Esparza via split decision which was followed by a split decision loss to Marina Rodriguez.
Xioanan is ranked second in the strawweight division and has an impressive 8-2 record in the UFC’s strawweight division. Weili too has an 8-2 record in the division with two losses to former two-time champion Rose Namajunas. Both Zhang Weili and Yan Xiaonan have a first-round knockout victory over former champion Jessica Andrade.
UFC 300 is a stacked PPV card and is poised to become a landmark event for the promotion. Xiaonan would be having a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to dethrone her Chinese counterpart and cement her legacy at the coveted PPV.
Who do you think will win between Yan Xioanan and Zhang Weili at UFC 300? Leave your prediction below!
