Yan Xiaonan prepared to head to the mat with Mackenzie Dern at UFC Vegas 60: “That is the only way she can win this fight”

UFC women’s strawweight contender Yan Xiaonan is ready to do whatever it takes to defeat Mackenzie Dern.

The Chinese fighter is fresh off her bout with Marina Rodriguez at UFC 272 in March. In that outing, Xiaonan lost by a contentious split decision. The defeat was her second in a row, as she was previously finished by Carla Esparza in May 2021.

Despite the losing streak, the 33-year-old has been handed the first main event of her career. At UFC Vegas 60, Xiaonan will face jiu-jitsu ace, Mackenzie Dern. The Brazilian is riding a two-fight winning streak and is one of the greatest submission artists in the promotion.

However, Yan Xiaonan isn’t concerned. At UFC Vegas 60 media day earlier today, the strawweight contender previewed her bout with Dern. There, the China native stated that she was prepared to head to the ground with her opponent to win.

In fact, that’s what she expects to happen. In Xiaonan’s view, the only way Dern can win is on the mat. However, the strawweight contender won’t let that happen, as she believes that Saturday is a big opportunity to impress the UFC.

“She may do something standing,” Xiaonan told reporters at UFC Vegas 60 media day. “But it’s just for setup to drag me to the ground, because that is the only way she can win this fight, I believe… This fight they put me in the main event, so I think UFC, they saw something special in me. They saw some very high-level things from myself. So that’s why they put me in the main event.” (h/t MMAJunkie)

She concluded,“I don’t think about the next step or what’s going to happen after this fight yet. I’m only focused on Saturday night.”

What do you think about Yan Xiaonan’s comments? Do you think she’ll defeat Mackenzie Dern? Sound off in the comment section below!