A pivotal strawweight match-up between Marina Rodriguez and Yan Xiaonan is in the works for UFC 272 scheduled for the March 5 pay-per-view.
Booked to fight at the T-Mobile Arena on pay-per-view, Rodriguez and Xiaonan will add to the event as the card continues to fill up with fights in the coming days. News of the impending contest was first revealed by Xiaonan’s management, Paradigm Sports.
It’s official. Yan Xiaonan will take on Marina Rodriguez in a strawweight bout at UFC 272 in Las Vegas on March 5. ✨ #UFC272 #GP pic.twitter.com/TXhyrleF2f
— Paradigm Sports (@ParadigmSports) December 29, 2021
“It’s official. Yan Xiaonan will take on Marina Rodriguez in a strawweight bout at UFC 272 in Las Vegas on March 5. #UFC272 #GP” Paradigm Sports shared on Wednesday.
Marina Rodriguez vs. Yan Xiaonan Booked For UFC 272 In Vegas
Rodriguez returns after one of her most dominant victories in the octagon to date. The 34-year-old was tasked with fighting grappling ace, Mackenzie Dern. While she was unable to score the finish, her standup skills seemed to shine bright through her entire 15-minute performance.
Marina Rodriguez’s lone loss in the UFC comes from Carla Esparza. Many thought after the pair fought in July 2020, that it was the Brazilian striker whose hand should have ultimately been raised. Nevertheless, Rodriguez learned from that split-decision loss and has since remained unbeaten. Following her defeat to Esparza, Rodrguez has fired off 3-straight victories and even earned a nasty finish with her hands against fellow ranked competitor, Amanda Ribas.
In the opposite corner is Yan Xiaonan, who intends to bounce back into the win column after sustaining the first UFC loss of her career. Interestingly, her loss also came at the hands of Carla Esparza, however, she didn’t make it past the second round. “The Cookie Monster” utilized her grappling advantage and got the fight to the canvas where she handily controlled Xiaonan.
Despite showing unworldly toughness, Yan Xiaonan was trapped in a crucifix and was ground and pounded until the referee saw enough damage. While Rodriguez certainly handled Esparza better, perhaps the decisive loss Xiaonan endured in the UFC will be the catalyst that pushes her into a different stratosphere of skill.
The strawweight bout is a nifty addition to UFC 272 slated to go down on March 5 in front of a packed audience in the T-Mobile Arena. With the addition of Marina Rodriguez and Yan Xiaonan added to UFC 272, here is an updated lineup for the pay-per-view.
- Edson Barboza vs. Bryce Mitchell
- Jessica Eye vs. Manon Fiorot
- Maryna Moroz vs. Mariya Agapova
- Dustin Jacoby vs. M. Oleksiejczuk
- Tim Elliott vs. Tagir Ulanbekov
- Marina Rodriguez vs. Xiaonan Yan
