In the co-main event of UFC 300, Chinese-born fighters Zhang Weili and Yan Xiaonan clashed for the strawweight title. Reigning champion Zhang successfully defended her belt over 5 rounds, winning the bout by unanimous decision.
The biggest moment of the fight came at the end of round one, when Zhang synched up a rear-naked choke on her adversary. Despite the submission being sunk in, the finishing sequence was interrupted by the bell, forcing her to release the choke.
Xiaonan staggered back to her feet and then her corner – dazed after quite possibly being rendered unconscious.
Yan Xiaonan; Commentary Team’s Accusations
Upon reaching her stool, the cutman asked Xiaonan’s team if they wanted him to wake her up. He then proceeded to press his finger against the bridge of her nose whilst her corner worked away.
The commentary team immediately caught onto the scene between rounds, with Daniel Cormier suggesting smelling salts were used to wake up the Chinese fighter.
Cormier then engaged in conversation with Joe Rogan, where the two discussed briefly how the usage of said salts would be illegal. Before anything could come of the situation however, round two had commenced.
Xiaonan Responds to Allegations
Speaking on the situation for the first time, Xiaonan went on record to say smelling-salts were not used.
“I didn’t notice what the cut-man was doing between rounds because when I went back to the corner, I was still recovering from the choke. So the only thing I could see was Urijah (Faber).” Xiaonan said on The MMA Hour.
“The smelling salt thing makes no sense, nobody had those. Nobody used those things to wake me up – it makes no sense. You guys know it’s not allowed to be used.”
Erik Magarken, a combat sports regulatory lawyer, shared a list via X showing that smelling salts aren’t sanctioned to be used by the corner team during UFC fights.
Xiaonan further elaborated on her experience between rounds, explaining that ice and water were the things that woke her up. As opposed to the alleged smelling-salts.
“The thing I could feel waking me up was the water and ice they poured over my head, which helped me to be more clear. The press under my nose I don’t feel like it really helped but I trust those cutmen. They’re professional, they know what they’re doing.”
Featured image credit to Embed from Getty Images
