Yan Xiaonan has spent more than a year away from the UFC. She returns on Saturday in Shanghai as the No. 4-ranked women’s strawweight, taking on No. 14 Denise Gomes in the co-main event.There is plenty around the fight for Yan to think about. She is 37, has been out of action since April 2025 and returns after a unanimous-decision loss to Virna Jandiroba. Before that, she had beaten Tabatha Ricci in 2024, following her five-round title fight against Zhang Weili at UFC 300. The division, meanwhile, has moved on in her absence, with Mackenzie Dern now holding the belt.Yan, though, is not interested in looking that far ahead. “I am not going to think about the championship right now. Right now, my priority is the first fight. I am going to pay attention to this fight and try to win this fight,” she told the Times of India in an exclusive interaction.
Yan keeps the title picture out of focus
And the thought process extends to what comes after Gomes. Asked who would make sense as her next opponent if she wins, Yan did not name a contender. “I am open-minded. I am just waiting for whoever the next opponent is. I don’t really care.”It is a straightforward philosophy for a fighter whose position in the division makes Saturday important. Yan remains fourth in the UFC rankings, while Gomes is 14th and enters the fight on a four-fight winning streak.A long layoff, but a more experienced fighterFor Gomes, it is an opportunity to make a significant jump. For Yan, it is a chance to re-establish herself after the longest gap between UFC appearances of her career. She does not see the layoff as having left her the same fighter.“I am definitely more experienced and more mature since last year. I have more experience, definitely.”Yan points instead to the accumulated work – her skills, her strengths and the people around her.“I am totally ready for the fight. Whatever skills I have improved, whatever strengths I have, and even the team – the whole team is from the US – have helped me. I am definitely more experienced, and the whole team has improved as well.”
Denise Gomes presents a very different test
The opponent, meanwhile, does not appear to have generated much anxiety. Gomes 26, has seven knockout wins and has won four consecutive UFC fights, most recently beating Tecia Pennington by unanimous decision in November.What does Yan see as the biggest threat?“There is no threat at all. I am just going to be myself, use whatever I have trained, and perform my game,” she said.
Yan Xiaonan
That confidence will be tested against a younger opponent who has steadily climbed the strawweight rankings. Gomes is fighting the biggest name of her UFC career, while Yan is fighting to keep herself in the part of the division where another title opportunity remains possible.But even the changing title picture – Dern’s reign, Zhang Weili’s move towards flyweight and Yan’s No. 4 position – is not something she wants occupying her mind this week.
Shanghai return brings excitement, not pressure
The setting, however, is different. Shanghai marks Yan’s return to the city after nine years. UFC’s August 29 event is its return to Shanghai, with Yan and Song Yadong giving the promotion two of China’s biggest MMA names on the card. Song headlines against Umar Nurmagomedov, while Yan faces Gomes in the co-main event.There is no sense from Yan that the occasion has become a burden. “After nine years, I am returning to Shanghai for the UFC. There is no pressure at all. It is just more exciting, and I am more excited to fight.”She will also have Song, her fellow Chinese UFC fighter and Team Alpha Male teammate, alongside her during fight week.“We are from the same team, and it definitely improves my confidence. I am really happy to work together with Song Yadong, and hopefully we can both win our fights.”Nine years after her last fight in Shanghai, Yan will walk into the Octagon again in her home country. This time, she says, there is no added pressure – only excitement.Watch UFC Fight Night – Nurmagomedov vs Song on August 29, 2026, from 3:30 PM IST live on Sony Sports Ten 1 SD & HD, Sony Sports Ten 3 SD & HD (Hindi), Sony Sports Ten 4 SD (Tamil,Telugu, Kannada) & Sony LIV.
