Outlook: Yan showed off her improved defensive grappling in her main event against Dern, a majority decision win for China’s first female UFC fighter. However, her pair of losses to Esparza and Rodriguez sit her further down the line when it comes to the title picture. If she fights upward, it’d need to be against someone like Namajunas or Andrade, so she might have to wait and see or fight down the rankings to protect her spot.
Meanwhile, Dern is in a tough stretch in which she lost two of her last three fights – both main events – to Rodriguez and Xiaonan. The Brazilian submission ace might have to string together a few wins down the rankings before she challenges the Top 5 again, but at 29, Dern has plenty of time to sharpen her game before she finds herself in the title conversation.
