Chinese contender Yan Xiaonan showed off her submission defence as she fended off a spirited challenge from jiu-jitsu ace Mackenzie Dern in the main event of UFC Vegas 61.
The pair faced off at the UFC Apex in a behind-closed-doors event that featured Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg at octagonside, as Yan outstruck Dern on the feet, and did enough to avoid serious submission trouble on the mat to earn scores of 48-47, 48-47, 47-47 for a majority decision victory.
Yan’s win snapped a two-fight skid that featured defeats to current champion Carla Esparza and Marina Rodriguez as she showed her improvement as a fighter and notched an important victory to keep her name in the championship conversation at 115 pounds.
Brown bests Trinaldo
In the co-main event, Randy Brown halted the impressive run of form of Brazilian veteran Francisco Trinaldo with a hard-earned unanimous decision victory.
Brown used his range and footwork to edge things on the feet, and stayed smart in the clinch to earn scores of 29-28 on all three scorecards and hand Trinaldo only his second defeat in his last seven bouts.
Brown, meanwhile, extended his own win streak to four, as he claimed his sixth win from his last seven outings.
Barcelos bosses Jones
Brazilian bantamweight contender Raoni Barcelos showcased his full range of MMA skills as he dominated Trevin Jones en route to a shutout decision victory.
Barcelos was a class above Jones, who was unable to implement his counter-striking game against the Brazilian, who mixed up his striking and grappling superbly to keep Jones on the back foot throughout the three-round clash.
In the end, the only thing missing from Barcelos’ performance was a finish, as he ran out a dominant winner on the scorecards, 30-25, 30-27, 30-27.
The main card also saw big wins for a pair of former Contender Series rivals. Sodiq Yusuff needed just 30 seconds to defeat Don Shainis, while the man he defeated in the Contender Series back in 2018, Mike Davis, outbattled Viacheslav Borshchev over the full three-round duration to earn a unanimous decision victory.
UFC Vegas 61: Official Results
MAIN CARD
- Yan Xiaonan def. Mackenzie Dern via majority decision (48-47, 48-47, 47-47)
- Randy Brown def. Francisco Trinaldo via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Raoni Barcelos def. Trevin Jones via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-27, 30-27)
- Sodiq Yusuff def. Don Shainis via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 0:30
- Mike Davis def. Viacheslav Borshchev via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-26, 30-26)
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Daniel Santos def. John Castaneda via TKO (knee) – Round 3, 4:29
- Ilir Latifi def. Aleksei Oleinik via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Joaquim Silva def. Jesse Ronson via TKO (flying knee and punches) – Round 2, 3:08
- Brendan Allen def. Krzysztof Jotko via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:17
- Chelsea Chandler def. Julija Stoliarenko via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:15
- Guido Cannetti def. Randy Costa via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:04
