Gadelha vs Xiaonan – fight analysis

gadelha xiaonan analysis
ufc

UFC Fight Night 182 features a strawweight bout between Claudia Gadelha and Yan Xiaonan. The ladies will meet inside the octagon in Las Vegas on November 7.

Claudia Gadelha stats

Gadelha amassed a record of 18-4. She started competing in MMA in 2008. Before transitioning to the UFC in 2014, Claudia won the Invicta FC belt and was on an 11-fight winning streak. Gadelha defeated Jessica Aguilar in a title eliminator and faced Joanna Jedrzejczyk for the belt but lost by unanimous decision. She never challenged UFC champions afterwards. However, Claudia defeated her last 2 opponents and was ranked fourth at strawweight. Gadelha earned a bonus for the best performance and 2 Fight of the Night awards in the UFC.

Yan Xiaonan stats

Xiaonan’s record stands at 12-1, 1 no contest due to a cut caused by an inadvertent clash of heads. Fury started her MMA career in 2009 and signed a deal with the UFC in 2017. Yan won 5 bouts in a row by unanimous decisions at promotion’s events. She has not suffered a loss since 2010 and is currently riding on a stunning 10-fight winning streak. The Chinese takes eighth place in the strawweight rankings. Xiaonan is looking forward to taking on the reigning queen Weili Zhang in case she beats Gadelha.

Matchup stats

Gadelha lands almost half as many strikes and absorbs 4% more shots per minute.

ufc

UFC Fight Night 182 features a strawweight bout between Claudia Gadelha and Yan Xiaonan. The ladies will meet inside the octagon in Las Vegas on November 7.

Claudia Gadelha stats

Gadelha amassed a record of 18-4. She started competing in MMA in 2008. Before transitioning to the UFC in 2014, Claudia won the Invicta FC belt and was on an 11-fight winning streak. Gadelha defeated Jessica Aguilar in a title eliminator and faced Joanna Jedrzejczyk for the belt but lost by unanimous decision. She never challenged UFC champions afterwards. However, Claudia defeated her last 2 opponents and was ranked fourth at strawweight. Gadelha earned a bonus for the best performance and 2 Fight of the Night awards in the UFC.

Yan Xiaonan stats

Xiaonan’s record stands at 12-1, 1 no contest due to a cut caused by an inadvertent clash of heads. Fury started her MMA career in 2009 and signed a deal with the UFC in 2017. Yan won 5 bouts in a row by unanimous decisions at promotion’s events. She has not suffered a loss since 2010 and is currently riding on a stunning 10-fight winning streak. The Chinese takes eighth place in the strawweight rankings. Xiaonan is looking forward to taking on the reigning queen Weili Zhang in case she beats Gadelha.

Matchup stats

Gadelha lands almost half as many strikes and absorbs 4% more shots per minute.

ufc

Gadelha vs Xiaonan preview

Yan trained in Sanda, while Claudia did not compete in striking martial arts. Therefore, Xiaonan has a great advantage on the feet. Fury slightly lags behind her opponent in terms of accuracy but her defense is better. Yan has got one of the fastest hands in the UFC 115-pound division and impressive footwork.

Gadelha earned a black belt in BJJ. Xiaonan attends BJJ classes but does not have any ranks yet. Thus, Claudia is a more experienced and skillful wrestler. Nevertheless, Gadelha finishes only 47% of takedowns, while Yan defends 66% of attempts. Furthermore, Fury partly compensates for a lack of mastery with physical strength.

Xiaonan’s weakness lies in grappling but she will dominate in striking. Yan drilled takedown defense before the bout and definitely mastered her technique to a high level. In her last contest against Angela Hill, Gadelha did only 1 of 4 takedowns and failed to control her rival on the mat. Thus, the Chinese has a good chance to prevent Gadelha’s attempts to bring the fight to the canvas and leave the octagon as a winner. Xiaonan has a 42% finish rate and Claudia lost only by decisions. Given these factors, the contest will likely reach the time limit.

The most probable fight results:

  1. Yan Xiaonan to win by decision (23/20); 
  2. Total rounds over 2.5 (31/100).

Disclaimer: Fight analysis is not a betting tip or a gambling advice of any sort. Our experts determine the most likely outcome of a sporting event based on statistics and personal views. Therefore, the actual result of a competition may differ from the predicted.