Zhang Weili vs. Yan Xiaonan set to make history at UFC 300: A comparison of their records, height, reach, and everything else

Zhang Weili vs. Yan Xiaonan has just been revealed as UFC 300's first title fight, with Zhang's strawweight crown on the line. The bout is historic, as it features two Chinese fighters competing for UFC gold for the first-ever time. Despite bearing certain similarities, the two women also have stark differences.

In terms of their physical dimensions, both Zhang and Yan are virtually identical, with the former standing at 5 feet 4 inches tall, while the latter is 5 feet 5 inches tall. Furthermore, both women have a reach of 63 inches and a background in Sanda.

Zhang, however, appears to hold the grappling edge, having dabbled in Shuai jiao, a traditional form of Chinese wrestling. She also outranks Yan in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, owning a brown belt to her blue belt, and is the more dangerous and complete grappler. In fact, Yan has no submission wins on her record, only a loss.

Meanwhile, 'Magnum' submitted Carla Esparza, a dominant wrestler, back in 2022, who also defeated Yan herself. Zhang, meanwhile, has eight career submissions and has never been submitted. She is also a more potent finisher than Yan, who only recently scored her first UFC finish by knocking out Jéssica Andrade.

It was her eighth knockout in 21 bouts. Zhang, by contrast, has five UFC finishes, two of which are KO/TKOs, which also includes a TKO win over Andrade. It is also worth noting that both women have UFC records consisting of eight wins and just two losses across 10 fights.

Their overall MMA records, however, differ, with Zhang being 24-3 while Yan is 17-3. Despite the stylistic intrigue in their matchup, fans are awaiting other bouts for UFC 300.

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How many title defenses does Zhang Weili have?

Zhang Weili is a two-time UFC women's strawweight champion, having first captured the title after steamrolling Jéssica Andrade and again three years later by submitting Carla Esparza. However, she is only a two-time champion because she has lost the title before. So what of her title defenses?

As it turns out, Zhang only has two title defenses on her record, both of which were part of her two title reigns. After defeating Andrade, 'Magnum' defended her title against Joanna Jędrzejczyk in a thrilling war before dropping the title to Rose Namajunas.

Check out Zhang Weili's first title defense in the clip below:

Upon recapturing the belt, she defended it against Amanda Lemos, dominating the Brazilian en route to a unanimous decision win. Now, with her title fight against Yan Xiaonan coming up, she will hope to author consecutive title defenses for the first time in her career.