Las Vegas, NV – Among the big matchups for UFC strawweight champion Weili Zhang is fellow Chinese MMA fighter Yan Xiaonan who hopes for a shot at the champion later this year in China.
“I think UFC is waiting to see what is going to happen for Weili’s next fight, her versus (Amanda) Lemos in August, maybe they are also thinking about me and Weili fighting in China at the end of the year,” Yan told Cageside Press through a translator at UFC X at International Fight Week.
Fans have been wanting a showdown between Yan and Weili for quite a while. Many have been talking about it as a sort of ‘civil war’ of sorts putting two Chinese fighters against each other which Yan doesn’t particularly buy.
“I don’t think this fight is that special because, specially in China, lot of fans trying to promote this fight like China versus China, but I don’t think we should think like that way. In many other sports like ping pong, diving, they’re also like Chinese athletes versus Chinese athletes. It’s very normal,” she said.
“Even in the UFC, Brazilian versus Brazilian, American versus American, it’s very normal. So to me it’s just a normal fight. I just want the belt. I want to be the champion. It’s very simple.”
Watch the entire UFC X interview with Yan Xiaonan above.
