Yan Xiaonan is gearing up to take on Zhang Weili at the historic UFC 300 card on April 13. The bout is significant not just for the strawweight title, which will be on the line for the fight, but also because it will mark the first time in the promotion’s history that 2 Chinese-born athletes will fight for UFC gold.

Also known by the nicknames, ‘Fury’ and ‘Nine’, Xiaonan will be coming into the matchup after knocking out Jessica Andrade in stunning fashion in the first round of their fight at UFC 288 in 2023. As she aims to dethrone the two-time champ, Weili, let’s explore all the details we know about her training, gym, and coaches! 

Yan Xiaonan’s gym, coach, and teammates

Yan Xiaonan began her training in martial arts in the Chinese form of kickboxing known as ‘Sanda’. According to reports available online, she was introduced to MMA in 2009 by a coach at her university. She was also the first female Chinese fighter to receive a UFC contract and made her debut in the promotion in 2017 against Kailin Curran.

Currently, Xiaonan trains out of Team Alpha Male, an MMA gym based in Sacramento, California. It was established in 2004 by MMA legend, Urijah Faber. According to information available on Tapology, the existing head coach of the team is Dave Rowan, and Dustin Akbari serves as the jiu-jitsu coach.

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Other trainers include Faber, Justin Buchholz, Danny Castillo, and Chris Holdsworth. The gym is renowned for training fighters like Cody Garbrandt (former UFC bantamweight champion), Deiveson Figueiredo (former UFC flyweight champion), and other notable names like Song Yadong, Josh Emmet, and Chad Mendes.

With her training, talent, and determination, Yan Xiaonan is poised to etch her name in the annals of MMA history if she manages to prevail against the dangerous, Zhang Weili.

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And as the countdown to UFC 300 continues, the founder of Team Alpha Male also made his thoughts clear on Xiaonan’s chances of victory when she steps into the Octagon on fight night!

Xiaonan’s coach feels it’s her time at UFC 300

In a recent interview with MMA Mania, Urijah Faber, founder of Team Alpha Male and one of the primary voices in Yan Xiaonan’s corner, was asked to share his opinion on his fighter and, “how excited you are about the title fight and thoughts on big UFC 300, how’s everything looking ahead of that one?”

Faber described Xiaonan as a dedicated professional and stated, “…ever since she’s been here, it’s been a few years now, has been a consummate professional. I think she came here to get a taste of what was going on and realized this is what she needed and her training and preparation is top level.”

The UFC veteran also praised her work ethic but noted that “She’s somebody that you don’t need to push, you need to draw her back because she can over-train at times. We’ve been dialing in everything she’s needed to work on, and she’s gonna get that belt, I can’t wait”

With Faber’s vote of confidence, Xiaonan’s journey to UFC gold seems more promising than ever, making her a fighter to watch and a force to be reckoned with in the world of mixed martial arts!

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