Yan Xiaonan

Yan Xiaonan, known by the nickname "Fury," is a Chinese mixed martial artist who competes in the women's strawweight division of the UFC.

Born in Shenyang, Liaoning, Yan began training in martial arts as a teenager and built her foundation in Sanda (Chinese kickboxing) while attending Xi'an Sports University, where coach Zhao Xuejun introduced her to mixed martial arts training before she transitioned fully to the sport. She competed on the regional Chinese circuit before signing with the UFC as the first Chinese woman to join the promotion.

Her credentials trace back to a competitive Sanda background, and she has also developed her ground game, earning a Brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt during her time training in the United States. She has split her preparation between China Top Team in Beijing and Team Alpha Male in Sacramento, California, working alongside her longtime coach Zhao Xuejun and the coaching staff built around Urijah Faber's gym.

Inside the cage, Yan is a technical, high-output striker who blends the kicking and forward pressure of her Sanda roots with polished Western boxing combinations. She works behind a sharp jab, mixes levels with precise counters, and presses opponents relentlessly, wearing them down over the course of a fight while also carrying legitimate finishing power, as demonstrated against elite competition.

Yan's UFC resume includes decision wins over former title challengers Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Cláudia Gadelha, a win over Mackenzie Dern, and a highlight-reel knockout of former champion Jéssica Andrade that earned a Performance of the Night bonus. That victory propelled her into a UFC Women's Strawweight Championship fight against fellow Chinese standout Zhang Weili at UFC 300, the first time two Chinese fighters had ever competed for UFC gold.

Regarded as a trailblazer for Chinese women in combat sports, Yan Xiaonan stands alongside Zhang Weili as one of the two most significant figures in the sport's growth in China, and her run to a title opportunity cemented her place among the strawweight division's most accomplished veterans.