Yan Xiaonan survives Mackenzie Dern’s grappling in majority-decision victory

Yan Xiaonan placed on a present for the followers — make that fan, singular — in the primary occasion of UFC Combat Evening on Saturday in Las Vegas.

Yan obtained the higher of Mackenzie Dern in standup combating and survived relentless grappling threats by her multiple-time jiu-jitsu world champion opponent to earn a majority-decision victory in a gathering of top-10 strawweights headlining a card at UFC Apex.

There have been no followers or media in attendance for Saturday’s card aside from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and visitors. Zuckerberg was seen on TV sitting within the entrance row after arranging to have the constructing all to himself. UFC president Dana White had denied the existence of an association with Zuckerberg earlier within the week.

Yan (16-3, 1 NC), who’s No. 5 in ESPN’s 115-pound rankings, ended a two-fight shedding streak, however the victory didn’t come with out moments of trepidation. Within the second and fifth rounds, Dern had Yan in serious trouble on the canvas, transitioning from one submission risk to a different. However Yan defended nicely, and afterward she expressed pleasure in that effort.

“I do know her jiu-jitsu is wonderful,” Yan stated by means of an interpreter. “She’s a black belt. I am a white belt. So I knew what I ought to count on on this combat. However I skilled so onerous — 4 occasions, 5 occasions on grappling throughout this camp — so I knew I may do that.”

The sixth-ranked Dern (12-3), a 29-year-old from Huntington Seashore, California, has misplaced two of her previous three after compiling a four-fight profitable streak.

Dern started competing in jiu-jitsu at age 5 and has received a dozen medals in world championship tournaments. She has earned 4 of her seven UFC wins by submission, essentially the most of any 115-pound fighter.

In Saturday’s bout, Dern had issue getting the combat to the mat, touchdown simply two of her 11 takedown makes an attempt. However when she did handle to get Yan down, Dern was fluid in threatening all the things from chokes to armbars to leg assaults. However she could not end the job.

Two of the three judges scored the bout 48-47 for Yan, and the third scored it 47-47, awarding a 10-8 fifth spherical to Dern, who took Yan to the canvas within the opening seconds and threatened a end practically to the ultimate horn.