Fights on Tap: Marina Rodriguez vs. Yan Xiaonan among 6 UFC bouts announced

Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

Fights on Tap is a weekly roundup of all the fights booked in the UFC, Bellator and other promotions.

Good news: We have one more week until our weekends become occupied again with several can’t-miss events, including a UFC Fight Night headlined by a striker’s delight between featherweight contenders Calvin Kattar and Giga Chikadze. As the UFC prepares for its return, it has also added to its upcoming schedule. The promotion either announced or finalized six fights, and a women’s strawweight bout with potential title implications has been set for March.

Marina Rodriguez and Yan Xiaonan are meeting at UFC 272, the pay-per-view event that takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Rodriguez had her best year under the UFC banner, going 3-0 in 2021 with statement wins over Amanda Ribas, Michelle Waterson and Mackenzie Dern. Xiaonan was on a six-fight win streak before she fought Carla Esparza, who finished her via second-round technical knockout at UFC Vegas 27 this past May. Rodriguez and Xiaonan are No. 3 and No. 4 in the rankings, respectively.

Bellator has confirmed its co-main event for Bellator 273 in January. Benson Henderson will look to snap a career-worst three-fight losing streak when he faces Islam Mamedov.

UFC Fight Night — February 5

Alexis Davis vs. Julija Stoliarenko — women’s bantamweight

UFC Fight Night — February 19

Ilir Latifi vs. Alexandr Romanov — heavyweight

UFC Fight Night — February 26

Ryan Spann vs. Ion Cutelaba — light heavyweight

UFC 272 — March 5

Marina Rodriguez vs. Yan Xiaonan — women’s strawweight

UFC Fight Night — March 12

Sabina Mazo vs. Mandy Böhm — women’s flyweight

UFC 273 — April 9

Irene Aldana vs. Aspen Ladd — women’s bantamweight

Announced Bellator fights:

Bellator 273 — January 29

Benson Henderson vs. Islam Mamedov — lightweight

Ben Parrish vs. Sullivan Cauley — light heavyweight

Henry Corrales vs. Aiden Lee — featherweight

Saad Awad vs. Chris Gonzalez — lightweight

Bellator Dublin — February 25

Khasan Magomedsharipov vs. Jose Sanchez — featherweight

Announced Invicta FC fights:

Invicta 45 — January 12

Helen Peralta vs. Elise Pone — women’s flyweight

Tabatha Watkins vs. Katie Saull — women’s atomweight

Announced KSW fights:

KSW 66 — January 15

Patryk Surdyn vs. David Martinik — bantamweight

Łukasz Rajewski vs. Donovan Desmae — lightweight

Sebastian Rajewski vs. Niklas Bäckström — lightweight

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About the author

Kristen King

Kristen King is a writer for Bloody Elbow. She has covered combat sports since 2016, getting her start with outlets such as FanSided, MyMMANews and MMA-Prospects. She joined the BE team in 2020, covering a mix of news, events and injuries. In her time with BE, Kristen has created ‘Fright of the Night,’ a series that highlights some of the worst injuries in the sport.