Claudia Gadelha and Yan Xiaoanan set to meet in September
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An exciting strawweight matchup has become the first bout lined up for the UFC’s September 26 event in Las Vegas, Nevada at the UFC Apex. Combate reported on Monday that it will be Claudia Gadelha (18-4) vs. Yan Xiaonan (12-1).
As a perennial top contender in the 115-pound division, Gadelha has already fought for UFC gold on one occasion. This being when she came up short against Joanna Jedrzejczyk in their highly anticipated 2016 rematch. Since then, the Brazilian has gone 5-2 and aimed to get back into the title picture.
Her most recent win came at UFC Jacksonville 2 when she picked up a split decision nod against Angela Hill. Hill came in on short notice to fill in for the unbeaten Marina Rodriguez who was forced out due to travel restrictions.
For Gadelha, a win over Xiaonan would put her on a three-fight winning streak. Thus making it her longest string of victories since her initial 12-0 run that was halted by her aforementioned rival in Jedrzejczyk.
China’s Xiaonan has continually impressed with each and every fight in the UFC to this point. She boasts a five-fight unbeaten streak in the Octagon with her last time out being a dominant showing over former title challenger Karolina Kowalkiewicz at UFC Auckland in February.
Overall, Xiaonan hasn’t tasted defeat since her third professional bout.
When it comes to equal opponents, both Xiaonan and Gadelha have faced and defeated Hill in competitive outings. Stylistically, most will expect to see this as a striker vs. grappler matchup at its core. However, Gadelha has only gotten more and more comfortable with her striking over the course of her career.
In the UFC’s official rankings, Gadelha currently sits at No. 6 with her upcoming opponent at No. 10. It’s safe to assume that the winner of this bout could very well be next in line for a title shot – if not a win away at most.
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