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While Chinese strawweight Yan Xiaonan is generally lauded for her striking abilities, she showed vastly improved grappling abilities, as well, en route to scoring a hard-fought decision win over Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Mackenzie Dern.
The contest served as the main event of Saturday's UFC Fight Night 211, which streamed live on ESPN+ from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
As expected, Yan was the aggressor to start, walking forward with strikes and looking to score damage on the feet. Dern initially looked to return fire but quickly seized each opportunity to clinch and turn the bout into a grappling contest. She did eventually work the action to the canvas late in the frame, though she was largely unable to capitalize with any real submission attempts.
Dern pulled guard quickly in the second, entangling Yan's leg and dragging her to the floor. Yan was careful to stay out of trouble but did take the chance to drive in punches at every available opportunity. Undeterred, Dern was able to maneuver into position for a deep arm-triangle attempt before abandoning it to move to mount. Yan turned to her knees, exposing her back, leaving Dern opportunities to look first for a choke and then an armbar, though Yan was able to squirm and survive until the bell.
Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
