That granite-like toughness has been an impossible puzzle for her opponents over the last decade-plus. Her lone pro loss came back in 2010, shortly after she began competing.
“There’s really no secret,” she says of the run. “Every day when I wake up, I set a goal. The goal is to not lose. It’s very simple, and I keep that goal every day. Wake up. Set a goal. The goal is never to lose.”
Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Fight Night: Font vs Garbrandt
In the early days, there were those who dubbed her “The Chinese Cyborg” for an aggression that matched that of the former UFC champion. A cluster of KO victories followed, but beginning with her UFC debut in 2017, Yan has conquered each of her six subsequent bouts with careful, clinical unanimous decision efforts. An armchair critic would suggest that her finishing power doesn’t translate to the UFC competition. But Yan disagrees. As she evolves as a fighter, finishing has become secondary to securing the victory. She credits her coach for the credo she embraces:
“Be a smart fighter rather than a ruthless fighter.”
