UFC Fight Night: Yan Xiaonan vs Denise Gomes Preview & Prediction

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Strawweights are on deck for the co-main event of the evening, as Yan Xiaonan looks to defend her spot in the rankings against Denise Gomes.

Yan Xiaonan vs Denise Gomes facts

What time are Yan Xiaonan and Denise Gomes expected to walk out? 29 August 2026 at 1:15 pm

Where is UFC Fight Night: Nurmagomedov vs Song? SPD Bank Oriental Sports Center, Shanghai, China

Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night: Nurmagomedov vs Song? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC Fight Night 286

What TV channel is UFC Fight Night: Nurmagomedov vs Song on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – Paramount

Where can I stream UFC Fight Night: Nurmagomedov vs Song? UK – TNT Sports can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and HBO Max / USA – Paramount+ & UFC Fight Pass

UFC Fight Night: Nurmagomedov vs Song main card

Umar Nurmagomedov vs Song Yadong (Bantamweight)

Yan Xiaonan vs Denise Gomes (Women's Strawweight)

Aori Qileng vs Kai Asakura (Bantamweight)

Su Mudaerji vs Alex Perez (Flyweight)

Liu Ce vs Levi Rodrigues Jr. (Light Heavyweight)

Bilal Hasan vs Nilson Rojas (Flyweight)

UFC Fight Night: Nurmagomedov vs Song prelims

Namsrai Batbayar vs Andre Lima (Flyweight)

Rei Tsuruya vs Kevin Borjas (Flyweight)

Jack Jenkins vs Sean Woodson (Featherweight)

Xiao Long vs Francesco Nuzzi (Bantamweight)

Lawrence Lui vs Hector Santiago (Bantamweight)

Xiong Jingnan vs Julia Polastri (Women's Strawweight)

Ding Meng vs Cameron Nelson (Welterweight)

Yan Xiaonan: The battle-tested veteran looks to turn back another upstart prospect

One of the most battle-hardened contenders in the strawweight ranks, Yan Xiaonan (19-5, 1 NC) returns after more than a year on the shelf following a decision loss to Virna Jandiroba. The one-time title challenger is 9-4 under the UFC banner, leaning on precise boxing and elusive movement to outpoint her opponents on the way to victory. While she came up short in her title bid against Weili Zhang, she has a number of impressive names on her resume after almost a decade with the promotion, most notably earning a decision over current champ, Mackenzie Dern, back in 2022.

Denise Gomes: Can "Dee" shock the world behind enemy lines?

Currently riding a four fight win streak, Denise Gomes (12-3) looks to score the biggest scalp of her career by a considerable distance come Saturday. The Contender Series graduate sandwiched a pair of wins between two defeats after initially joining the promotion but hasn’t faltered since a loss to Angela Hill. One of the division’s heavier hitters, “Dee” is an aggressive Muay Thai-based striker who pushes a high pace and possesses an excellent clinch game. Her latest fight saw her earn the nod against Tecia Pennington in November 2025, scoring the most notable victory of her career to date.

Yan Xiaonan vs Denise Gomes prediction

I’ve got Xiaonan here. Gomes has looked impressive in her last couple of fights, but she hasn’t faced or beaten anybody with the Chinese fighter’s level of experience.

Xiaonan is primarily a striker at heart, but she’s not afraid to mix in takedowns either. Both of Gomes’ UFC defeats have come against fighters who outstruck her handily and produced well-timed bursts of offensive wrestling. Xiaonan is also the bigger woman in this matchup and has some sneaky KO power of her own if Gomes gets overly aggressive in pursuit of a finish.

At the end of the day, the disparity in the pair’s strength of schedule is the deciding factor here. Xiaonan has been fighting a who’s-who of strawweight’s best contenders for the majority of her UFC tenure. Not only has she shared the cage with the likes of Zhang Weili, Mackenzie Dern, and Virna Jandiroba, she even has a win over the current champion. By contrast, Gomes doesn’t have a single victory over anybody ranked in the current Top 15.

Gomes might be powerful but a TKO over Elise Reed isn’t enough to convince me that she starches Yan here. In short, Xiaonan outstrikes and outworks Gomes across three to earn the unanimous decision nod in her hometown.

Prediction: Yan Xiaonan to win by decision