- What: UFC 300 Co-Main Event
- Who: Zhang Weili vs. Yan Xiaonan
- Date: Saturday, April 13, 2024
- Location: T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV
- Time: Early Prelims (6:00 p.m. ET) Prelims (8:00 p.m. ET) PPV Card (10:00 p.m. ET)
- How to Watch: Early Prelims (ESPN+), Prelims (ESPN), Main Card (ESPN+ Pay-Per-View)
Alex Pereira puts his UFC light heavyweight title on the line for the first time when he faces former UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill in the main event of UFC 300. UFC 300 takes place on Saturday, April 13, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Before that fight, UFC strawweight champion Zhang Weili faces Yan Xiaonan in the evening’s co-main event. Here is some info on Zhang and Yan before we look at the betting breakdown for UFC 300.
Zhang Weili (24-3) is in her second run as UFC strawweight champion. She regained the title in November 2022 with a submission win over Carla Esparza. Zhang’s most recent defense of her crown came in August when she won a decision over Amanda Lemos.
Yan Xiaonan (17-3-0-1) is the No. 1 fighter in the official UFC strawweight rankings. She is riding a two-fight winning streak. Yan’s most recent victory was a May 2023 knockout win over Jessica Andrade.
Before we look at the best bets for the Zhang vs. Yan matchup on the UFC 300 PPV card, check out the best UFC betting sites and our betting picks for the UFC 300 main event, Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill.
UFC 300 co-main event: Zhang Weili vs. Yan Xiaonan betting picks
Zhang Weili betting breakdown
The 34-year-old Zhang Weili only has two losses in her UFC career, both came to former champion Rose Namajunas. Zhang won the UFC strawweight title in August 2019 with a TKO over Jessica Andrade. She defended her crown in March 2020 with a split-decision win over former champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Zhang lost the title to Namajunas in April 2021 via head kick and lost to Namajunas in a November 2021 rematch via split decision. The champ is riding a three-fight winning streak heading into UFC 300’s co-main event.
Zhang is primarily a striker but has grown into a true mixed martial artist during her tenure with the UFC. The champ uses a high-output striking style, but she also brings a fair amount of power with her for a 115-pound fighter. She has two knockouts and three knockdowns under the UFC banner. Zhang’s plus 2.5 striking differential ranks her third all-time in the division, and her significant striking accuracy of 51.9 percent ranks fifth in the weight class. She lands 5.94 significant strikes per minute.
Zhang is also a threat in the wrestling department with 19 UFC takedowns and one of the highest takedown accuracy percentages in the 115-pound weight division at 42.2 percent.
Yan Xiaonan betting breakdown
A member of the UFC roster since November 2017, the 34-year-old Yan Xiaonan made a steady climb up the UFC strawweight rankings during her first three years with the promotion, but then back-to-back losses to Carla Esparza and Marina Rodriguez slowed her climb to the top of the division. Yan bounced back from those defeats with solid victories over Mackenzie Dern and former champion Jessica Andrade to earn herself the No. 1 ranking in the weight class and a shot at Zhang Weili at UFC 300.
Yan is not as well-rounded as Zhang, but she has high-level boxing skills. The challenger has good striking technique, but she is not afraid to get into a slugfest if that’s where the fight goes. Yan prefers to keep the fight standing, but Zhang can mix things up with takedowns if necessary. An example was when she went five-for-six in takedowns in her fight opposite Karolina Kowalkiewicz. Yan’s KO of Andrade was her first stoppage win under the UFC banner.
Yan averages 5.55 significant strikes per minute with an accuracy of 44 percent. Her striking defense is 61 percent, and she gets hit, on average, 3.56 times per minute. Yan has a takedown defense of 70 percent.
Best Bets: UFC 300 co-main event – Zhang Weili vs. Yan Xiaonan
The UFC strawweight champion is the better all-around fighter in this contest, but that doesn’t mean Yan Xiaonan does not present some betting value. The challenger could score a surprise knockout win or an upset decision victory, so those are wagers to consider for the UFC 300 co-main event. However, our betting pick is for the betting favorite, Zhang Weili, to retain her UFC strawweight title on this historic fight card. The betting pick is for Zhang Weili to defeat Yan Xiaonan via decision.
See below a list of reliable sportsbooks and choose the best one for you.
