High-ranked strawweights Mackenzie Dern and Yan Xiaonan are expected to headline UFC’s October 1st event.
The bout, which will headline a card that doesn’t have a set location currently, was confirmed by Brett Okamoto of ESPN on Friday.
Yan will be appearing in her first-ever UFC main event. She has become a prominent name in the 115-pound division, catching the attention of many for a six-fight winning streak from 2017 to 2020.
Yan has struggled against some of the division’s higher-up names more recently, losing bouts to now-champion Carla Esparza and contender Marina Rodriguez.
Despite these losses, Yan is still one of the top names at strawweight. Per UFC.com’s official rankings, Yan currently sits fifth in the division. She is undoubtedly still only a few wins away from being a title contender.
Dern is still searching for her first UFC main event victory. She had her first headlining appearing last year, but came up short against Marina Rodriguez in a five-round encounter. That loss broke a four-fight winning streak that she previously attained in the UFC cage.
Dern has picked up a win since then, taking a split decision over Tecia Torres at UFC 273 earlier this year.
Here’s an updated look at UFC’s still growing October card:
Bout 3: Mackenzie Dern (12-2) vs. Yan Xiaonan (14-3) (Strawweight)
Bout 2: Tabatha Ricci (7-1) vs. Cheyanne Vlismas (7-2) (Strawweight)
Bout 1: Randy Costa (6-3) vs. Guido Cannetti (9-6) (Bantamweight)
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