Yan Xiaonan wants another crack at Zhang Weili and her UFC strawweight title.
Yan (19-4 MMA, 9-3 UFC) returned to action for the first time since coming up short in her first bid at Weili’s title in April at UFC 300. It was a successful shutout decision performance against Tabatha Ricci (11-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 248 in Macau.
Thrilled with the victory and the opportunity to fight close to home, Yan nearly missed the opportunity make a call out. As Michael Bisping began wrapping up the interview, Yan grabbed the mic and delivered an emphatic call out of the champion, who was sitting cageside.
“Weili, I want a rematch!” Yan said through an interpreter during her in-octagon post-fight interview. “I want to get the belt back. Are you ready?”
Weili was shown on camera responding to the call out and waved Yan on. Weili, who has two title defenses under her belt, has not fought since defeating Yan at UFC 300 and does not have her next fight set.
If it were up to Yan, she would get the next shot in a rematch, and her only preference would be for the fight to take place in her home country, which would be an amazing atmosphere for the China vs. China title showdown.
“Any time, any place,” Yan said through an interpreter during a post-fight interview with UFC.com. “But hopefully, it will be a pay-per-view event in China.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 248.
