UFC Vegas 27: Yan Xiaonan vs. Carla Esparza Picks and Predictions

Yan Xiaonan and Carla Esparza face off in a women's strawweight showdown for the co-main event of UFC Vegas 27 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. 

Yan Xiaonan comes into this fight with a 13-1 record overall and since coming into the UFC she has a perfect 6-0 record. Xiaonan’s last fight came in November of 2020 and that was a fight she won by unanimous decision. Xiaonan outstruck Claudia Gadelha 74-36 and that was enough to win the fight by unanimous decision. Xiaonan is averaging 6.42 significant strikes per minute while absorbing 3.63 significant strikes per minute. Xiaonan is averaging 1.00 successful takedowns every 15 minutes and she is successful on 75 percent of her takedown attempts. She is also stopping 75 percent of her opponents' takedown attempts. 

Carla “Cookie Monster” Esparza comes into this fight with an 18-6 record overall and she has won four fights in a row. Esparza’s last fight came in July of 2020 against Marina Rodriguez and even though she was out-stuck in that fight, she won by a split decision. Each of her last four wins have come by a decision. Esparaza is averaging 2.29 significant strikes per minute while absorbing 2.85 significant strikes per minute. She likes to get the fight to the ground, and she is currently averaging 3.44 takedowns every 15 minutes but she is only successful on 35 percent of her attempts. She also stops 48 percent of her opponents takedown attempts. Esparza is averaging 0.3 submission attempts every 15 minutes.