Former UFC strawweight champion, Jessica Andrade, is back in action this weekend. She will compete on the UFC 288 main card and is set to take on the 6th-ranked strawweight fighter Yan Xiaonan. Jessica wants another crack at Zhang Weili and beating Xiaonan will be a crucial step in securing that.
Jessica Andrade is coming off a loss to Erin Blanchfield in her last bout. However, she added that the outcome of the bout was influenced by a wardrobe malfunction. Hence, she will be wearing a dry-fit shirt instead of a sports bra. With worries about her fight gear out of the way, Andrade would want to focus on the upcoming bout and get back to the winning column.
Yan Xiaonan beat MacKenzie Dern in her last bout in October 2022. However, she lost to Carla Esparza and Marina Rodriguez back to back prior to the Dern fight. Hence, the win over Dern was extremely important to keep her career afloat after a very promising start. However, the bout against Andrade is not going to be any easier and can have major title implications. So who wins the fight? Let’s find out.
UFC 288: Jessica Andrade vs Yan Xiaonan, Stats
Stats | Jessica Andrade | Yan Xiaonan |
---|---|---|
Wins | 24 | 16 |
Losses | 10 | 3 |
Height | 1.55 m | 1.65 m |
Division | Women’s Strawweight | Women’s Strawweight |
Reach | 157.5 cm | 160 cm |
Age | 31 | 33 |
Andrade vs Xiaonan: Fight Breakdown
Yan Xiaonan has an MMA record of 16-3-1. She has 7 KO/TKOs and 9 decision wins. So it does make the fans question whether she can cope with Jessica Andrade’s grappling or not. Andrade has a pro record of 24-10 and holds 8 submissions and 9 KO/TKOs. Andrade is equally good both on the mat and on her feet. Fans already know how powerful Jessica is, so the bout promises to be highly intriguing.
According to UFC Stats, the Brazilian fighter lands 6.84 strikes per minute as opposed to 5.45 strikes from Xiaonan. The Chinese fighter only absorbs 3.53 strikes per minute, while Andrade absorbs more punishment with 5.34 strikes per minute. But, Andrade trumps in terms of grappling as she secures 2.64 takedowns per fight, as opposed to 0.87 from Yan Xiaonan.
On paper, it looks like Jessica Andrade has a clear path to win against Xiaonan. The Chinese fighter has a takedown defense rate of 70% and has been taken down 7 times in her last five bouts. Although she has been improving quite a lot, Yan still needs to be on her toes against Jessica.
But Yan is much bigger in stature and can use it to her advantage by maintaining her distance and picking Jessica apart from a distance. Rose Namajunas had great success in doing so. So Yan also has a path to victory, however, it will be much harder. Hence, Jessica will definitely be a modest favorite this Saturday at UFC 288.