UFC: Yan Xiaonan, Kanako Murata, Loma Lookboonmee lead new wave of Asian female fighters on rise in 2021
- New generation of stars is waiting in the wings to follow in the footsteps of – and throw down the gauntlet to – UFC strawweight champ Zhang Weili
- The likes of Yan Xiaonan, Kanako Murata and Loma Lookboonmee aim for breakouts next year
Zhang “Magnum” Weili fixed her grip on the UFC’s strawweight belt in 2020, emerging relatively unscathed from her first title defence, against former champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk in an epic encounter that still really needs to be seen to be fully believed.
The 31-year-old now boasts a 21-1 overall record, and a 5-0 run with the world’s premier promotion, and has embraced being a role model for women fighting in mixed martial arts, in China and across Asia.
“I am the ambassador,” Zhang told SCMP MMA before that bout against Jedrzejczyk (16-4) at UFC 248 in March. “I want to show women what can be done.”
While Zhang captured most of the headlines, the past 12 months have seen the emergence of a new generation of fighters from Asia, among them women’s strawweights in particular, with Zhang’s compatriot Yan “Fury” Xiaonan (13-1), Japan’s Kanako Murata (12-1), and Thailand’s Loma Lookboonmee (5-2) also starring in a division that comes stacked with talent.
It almost feels as though the 31-year-old Yan has been hiding in plain sight, given she hasn’t lost a bout since 2010, and is on a 6-0 tear in the UFC. The Shenyang-born fighter was the first woman from China to sign with the UFC, in 2017, and has let it be known that while she has celebrated Zhang’s rise to the top, she has her eyes fixed on relieving her of that belt.
In overwhelming former title contender Claudia Gadelha (18-5), of Brazil, in November – 234 significant strikes thrown to 149 – Yan established her credentials and was rewarded with a rise to number three in the rankings.
