Yan Xiaonan Outpoints Claudia Gadelha

Kicking off the UFC Vegas 13 main card is a women’s strawweight bout between Claudia Gadelha and Yan Xiaonan.

Round 1: Both fighters are swinging early. Gadelha stings Yan with a big jab. She advances forward and trips Yan with a body lock as she enters her guard. She transitions to half guard before hooking Yan’s legs. Yan improves her position and stands up but is still controlled by Gadelha who later clinches her up against the fence. Yan throws strikes as she continues to defend a takedown attempt from Gadelha. Both fighters are throwing knees before the referee separates them. Gadelha catches Yan’s leg and grabs a single. Yan is active off her back with strikes but remains controlled by Gadelha who lands a big elbow soon after. The round comes to an end.

Round 2: The pair return to striking. Yan is the quicker striker as s Yan he lands some big strikes but Gadelha isn’t seriously hurt. Gadelha misses a single leg attempt and continues to be on the receiving end of some nice jabs from Yan. It appears Gadelha is taking some minutes off to regain her stamina. Yan lands a big right during a flurry with Gadelha. Yan lands a leg kick but is caught with a one-two from Gadelha. Yan lands a few more strikes but receives a big left hook from Gadelha in return. Yan attempts a spinning backfist which is avoided by Gadelha who clinches her up against the fence to end the round.

Round 3: Yan is more aggressive early on with her jab. Gadelha fails with a single leg attempt but clinches Yan up against the fence as the game plan appears to be get the fight on the ground similar to the first round. Yan separates and they return to striking. Yan stuffs another takedown attempt which is telegraphed and continues to be effective with her jab. Gadelha clinches her up against the fence soon after. Yan continues to throw strikes while defending the takedown. Yan reverses the position and has Gadelha up against the fence. The referee separates them and they return to striking. Yan ends the fight strong and as the more active fighter as she lands a number of strikes that have bruised Gadelha up.

Official result: Yan Xiaonan defeats Claudia Gadelha via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).