Yan Scolds Namajunas For Playing Politics

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Skip to 9:30 for the Namajunas comments. Reigning UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas may believe she got the last word in her “better dead than red” approach to UFC 261, where she fou…


UFC Fight Night: Gadelha v Xiaonan
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Skip to 9:30 for the Namajunas comments.

Reigning UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas may believe she got the last word in her “better dead than red” approach to UFC 261, where she fought — and finished — former 115-pound titleholder Zhang Weili.

Not quite.

“Thug” may end up facing off against another Chinese opponent if No. 3-ranked Yan Xiaonan can turn away ex-champ Carla Esparza in the UFC Vegas 27 co-main event this Sat. night (May 22, 2021) inside APEX in Las Vegas.

“I don’t like that, I don’t think she should bring politics into sports,” Yan told South China Morning Post. “Sports is a way to unite people. What she did is separate people. I don’t like that. Everyone can have his or her own opinion. She can say what she wants, she can’t change anything.”

Namajunas detailed her family’s struggle under communism as a way to motivate her to fight Zhang at UFC 261, though as you might imagine, the remarks didn’t sit well with Weili — though Namajunas insists “Magnum” was being forced to complain.

Not sure that proposed friendship is gonna work out.

As for Yan (13-1, 1 NC), who turns 32 in just a few weeks, she made her Octagon debut back in late 2017 and has since racked up seven straight wins, including last November’s unanimous decision victory over Claudia Gadelha.