Yan Xiaonan says Chinese fans are on champion Zhang Weili's side

LAS VEGAS – After decisions in her first seven UFC victories, Yan Xiaonan raised a number of eyebrows when she upset former champion Jessica Andrade nearly a year ago.

That victory, coupled with a victory over the highly touted Mackenzie Dern, gave Xiaonan (17-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) the biggest moment of her career: a title shot against strawweight champion Zhang Weili (24-3 MMA). , 8-2 UFC) in Saturday's UFC 300 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) co-main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The fight is important: it will be the first all-Chinese title fight in UFC history. But Xiaonan said Weili remains the most popular of the two in her home country.

“There are still more people who support them,” Xiaonan said at media day on Wednesday. “But I have my family, my friends and my coaching team who support me. All my people will support me. That’s enough for me.”

A win for Xiaonan would be one of the biggest upsets in UFC title fight history. Weili is the favorite in this fight at 5-1 – bigger than ever before in the UFC. And Xiaonan has never been such a big outsider.

A surprise could at least curb Weili's surge in popularity and shift some of it to Xianonan in China. But the challenger will take it as it comes. On Saturday she will focus on showing that the odds are stacked against her.

“Weili is a great fighter. She shows that to everyone in every fight,” Xiaonan said. “But I also believe that I am a good fighter. I think I’ll show you the best version of me.”

You can watch Xiaonan's full media day session in the video above.

For more information on the card, check out MMA Junkie's UFC 300 event hub.