UFC Women’s Heavyweight contender Yan Xiaonan hopes to earn a title shot by beating Carla Esparza on the weekend at UFC Vegas 27.
Xiaonan (13-1, 1 NC) has quickly become one of the top heavyweights on the UFC roster since making her promotion debut in 2017. Since then, she has won all
his fights in the UFC, including notable victories over Claudia Gadelha, Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Angela Hill. Many sports analysts believe Xiaonan has all the makings of a future UFC champion, and a win over Esparza at UFC Vegas 27 could well be here.
Talking to Farah Hannun about MMAjunkie.com, Xiaonan said she wants to fight Namajunas for the belt next time if she defeats Esparza next weekend.
“Yes, I think (next title shot). A very big fight for me and very important. I have been preparing for this fight for a very long time, and I think that the winner of me and Esparza will be able to fight for the belt. This is my plan. I will win this fight and my next step will be to fight for the championship, ”said Xiaonan.
For Xiaonan, the opportunity to beat Esparza – the first-ever UFC women’s welterweight champion and one of the division’s top contenders – will be exactly what she needs to prove to the world that she deserves a title shot against Namajunas, who recently defeated Weili Zhang at UFC 261. to reclaim the title.
“I think her role is pretty much like that of a gatekeeper. She was the first champion of this division and her rating is always (#) from 5 to 8, so yes, she is like a gatekeeper. If we can get through it, we can become a legitimate contender for the championship, ”said Xiaonan.