Regardless of gender, absolutely no one likes to take a shot to the groin under any circumstances. At Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 272 this past Sat. night (March 5, 2022), we saw one of the more vicious strikes land downstairs on a female competitor.
China’s Yan Xiaonan was tasked with fellow top-ranked 115-pound Strawweight contender Marina Rodriguez that night in Las Vegas. Starting off strong to seal the first round in her favor, an illegal shot left its mark in the second frame when Rodriguez’s knee connected with Yan’s groin.
In the moment, Yan’s pain was evident as the doctors entered the Octagon and made spectators worry about the fight continuing. Little did we know, it probably could have been stopped had Yan not toughed it out.
“I think the first round I performed 100 percent, very well,” Yan told The AllStar. “But then I got kneed in the groin and that hurt me a little bit and affected my performance. The second and third round, not that good. But I wanted that fight very badly so I still tried my best.
“The groin getting kneed or kicked does not only affect male fighters. So at that moment, what I felt was my bone got hit and I can feel immediately there was some blood and plenty of pain, of course. But I didn’t tell my translator and the doctors. I was just worried that they will stop the fight. So I just told them it’s okay, give me some time.
“After the fight when I did the medical exam, yeah, there was a lot of blood there… very painful,” she added.
Going forward, the Sanda-based striker is considering wearing some protection when training and sparring to limit any possibilities of this unfortunate incident happening again.
Despite the painful situation she was put in, Yan fought to the best of her abilities and still believes she did enough to get her hand raised. In the end, it was Rodriguez’s night after a split judges’ call.
“I rewatched the fight immediately when I arrived at the athletes’ hotel with my coaches, with my team,” Yan said. “All of us certainly believe I won the first two rounds. The third round, we can give her, but still pretty close. So I feel I won that fight.”