Competing in China for the first time in six years, Yan Xiaonan made the most of the experience by putting on one of her best performances in the Octagon, defeating Tabatha Ricci in the UFC Macau co-main event.
Xiaonan was fully on the attack in the opening round, having complete control as Ricci continuously bit down on her strikes. The Brazilian seemed to find a range by the end of the first round and took it into the second, even getting a hold of her Chinese opponent’s back at one point. But that moment only came after Xiaonan managed to wobble her.
Ricci continued to stay on the outside in that second frame, as Xiaonan appeared to overwhelm her with the speed and crispness of her strikes. “Fury” did not deter from this strategy and went on to sweep the judges’ scorecards before calling out Zhang Weili for a strawweight title rematch.
Yan Xiaonan Cruises To Easy Decision Win Over Tabatha Ricci At UFC Macau
Xiaonan now returns to the win column in her first fight since unsuccessfully challenging Zhang for the UFC women’s strawweight title at UFC 300 earlier this year. She has won three of her last four.
Meanwhile, after a four-fight win streak between late 2021 and early 2023, Ricci is 2-2 across the four fights she’s had in the last year.
