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Yan Xiaonan faces four-fight winning streak Gomes in UFC Shanghai co-main event

Former strawweight title challenger Yan Xiaonan returns to the octagon for the first time in over a year when she faces surging contender Denise Gomes in the co-main event of UFC Shanghai on Aug. 29.

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Yan Xiaonan faces four-fight winning streak Gomes in UFC Shanghai co-main event
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Yan Xiaonan will look to revive her strawweight title ambitions against in-form contender Denise Gomes in the co-main event of UFC Shanghai at Shanghai Indoor Stadium on Aug. 29. The UFC confirmed the matchup on Wednesday.

Yan (19-5, 1 NC) has not competed since dropping a unanimous decision to Virna Jandiroba in April 2025, a defeat that extended a difficult run of form. After opening her UFC career with six straight wins, the Chinese fighter has gone just 3-4 over her last seven outings — a stretch that includes a title fight loss to Zhang Weili. She does, however, hold victories over current strawweight champion Mackenzie Dern and former champion Jessica Andrade, keeping her relevant at No. 5 in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings at 115 pounds.

Gomes (12-3) arrives as arguably the division’s most dangerous challenger, having won four consecutive fights. Her most recent performance, a unanimous decision over Tecia Pennington last November, further cemented her status as a legitimate title threat.

The card is headlined by a bantamweight clash between Umar Nurmagomedov and Song Yadong. Also added to the Shanghai bill is a flyweight contest between top prospect Rei Tsuruya (11-1) and Kevin Borjas (11-5), who is coming off an upset win over previously undefeated Andre Lima.

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