Weili Zhang probably had two or three winning moments at UFC 300. But the end result was the same.
The UFC flyweight champion defeated his compatriot in a bout that seemed over at the end of the first round, defeating challenger Yang Xiaonan by unanimous decision (49-45, 49-45, 49-45). defended. This was Zhang's second defense of his second title.
The first round ended with Chan finding a chokehold and choking him tightly. Yang's movements gradually slowed as she lost consciousness. It looked like he reached the point in the final seconds, but he managed to reach the bell.
She was visibly unsteady when she got up from the mat. The battle continued.
“I thought she was out, but she quickly recovered,” Chan said through an interpreter after the match.
The situation sparked a small controversy, with members of Yang's corner being seen putting their fingers up her nose and quickly sparking speculation that he had used scented salts, which are illegal, to wake her up. Ta. Color commentators Daniel Cormier and Joe Rogan slammed the possible violation, but commentator Jon Anik later clarified that no smelly salts were used.
Zhang appeared to be aiming for the victory by defeating Yang in the second round as well, but was unable to push her away even though the challenger seemed only focused on covering her weak areas. I couldn't.
The champion lost momentum as the bout entered the later rounds, but an early advantage meant Yan needed a finish to pull off the upset. That didn't happen, dethroning her first UFC champion and preventing her from becoming her second Chinese UFC champion.
By calculation, Zhang had the upper hand, outscoring Yang 106-43 with six takedowns out of nine attempts and a significant 12:44 control time.
