Yan Xiaonan has a tough test ahead of her if she wants to stay in the strawweight title picture as she takes on top contender Denise Gomes at UFC Shanghai.
The UFC announced Wednesday that Yan (19-5, 1 NC) is set to fight Gomes (12-3) in the co-main event of its upcoming card at Shanghai Indoor Stadium in China on Aug. 29. Umar Nurmagomedov fights Song Yadong in the headlining bantamweight bout.
Yan is currently No. 5 at 115 pounds in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings.
This marks Yan’s first appearance
in over a year since losing a unanimous decision to Virna Jandiroba in April 2025. Following a 6-0 start to her UFC career, Yan has seen mixed results, going just 3-4 in her past seven appearances, including a title fight loss to Zhang Weili. Yan holds wins over current strawweight champion Mackenzie Dern and former champion Jessica Andrade.
Gomes is one of the hottest fighters at 115 pounds, having won four straight fights. In her most recent outing this past November, she earned a unanimous decision win over Tecia Pennington.
Also announced Wednesday for UFC Shanghai, top flyweight prospect Rei Tsuruya (11-1) takes on Kevin Borjas (11-5), who is coming off of an impressive upset victory over the previously undefeated Andre Lima.
