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Yan Xiaonan Ethnicity & Nationality: All We Know About the UFC Star’s Background

Published 04/05/2024, 4:46 PM EDT

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UFC 300 will be historic not only because it is the triple-century of pay-per-view events for Dana White‘s promotion, but also because two Chinese fighters will go head-to-head for the first time in the UFC. Yan Xiaonan will finally get her chance to compete for the strawweight title title against the champion and fellow Chinese fighter Zhang Weili. But before we get to her first title fight, let us take a look at Xiaonan’s background.

UFC fans invest their time not only to watch the fights the promotion offers but also to know their favorite fighters. As such, Yan Xiaonan has also grown to prominence since joining the UFC. Regardless, let’s take a look at their personal life.

Yan Xiaonan: ethnicity and nationality

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For starters, Yan Xiaonan is 33 years old, with an MMA record of 17 wins and 3 losses with 1 no-contest. She was born on 16th June 1989 in the capital city of Beijing in China. While there are some fighters who like to reveal their background information, the same cannot be said for Xiaonan. There are very little, to no details regarding her family and her personal life. Furthermore, Xiaonan hasn’t shared pictures of her family on her social media handles.

 

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Having been born in China, Yan Xiaonan’s nationality is Chinese. However, there are no details about her ethnicity or religion and we may not be able to point those things out since China is a country of many ethnicities and religions.

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On the other hand, Xiaonan had created history in the past when she joined Dana White’s promotion. At UFC 300, it will be the first time two Chinese fighters are going against each other on PPV for a title. It’s a testament to the growing popularity of martial arts in the region. Needless to say, Xiaonan is considered one of the flagbearers of the success of MMA in her country.

Xiaonan was the first Chinese female UFC fighter

By the time Yan Xiaonan amassed an MMA record of 7-1-0 (1 NC), she got the chance to sign with the UFC back in 2017. It was not only a big moment for her but also for her native country. Xiaonan became the first female fighter hailing from China to be signed by Dana White’s promotion. Furthermore, her run in the UFC has been nothing short of spectacular.

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Yan Xiaonan has lost twice in the UFC, first against former strawweight champion Carla Esparza, and the second against Marina Rodriguez. However, she had some notable wins over popular names like Mackenzie Dern, Angela Hill, and Jessica Andrade. After going through some of the toughest opponents in her division, Xiaonan is now gearing up for her title fight on April 13.

Many fans have complained on social media about the lackluster UFC 300 card. However, that will not be an issue for Yan Xiaonan and Zhang Weili as both Chinese fighters will create history for their native country. Besides, with Weili unhinged and raring to go, there are sure to be some fireworks. Hopefully, we get a spectacle.

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So, will Xianon become the second Chinese UFC champion, or will Weili retain her title? Let us know what you think.

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Written by:

Himanga Mahanta

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Himanga Mahanta is a senior UFC writer at EssentiallySports. An all-rounder in his coverage of the sport, Himanga is a reliable voice with a knack for providing analytical coverage of breaking stories from the world of MMA. His 1700+ articles include perspective pieces on trending UFC stories, and both live and post-event coverage of weekly events.
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Edited by:

Smrutisnat Jena