UFC: China’s ‘Mulan’ Wu Yanan has got her mind right for return

It’s easy to overlook the fact that Wu Yanan is just 25 years old, given everything the Chinese bantamweight has gone through both inside and outside the cage.

Partly that’s due to the fact the Chaoyang-born fighter has been fighting as a professional since she was just 16, and part of it is due to the fact that she’s already been in the UFC for five years. And then there’s the injuries, the cancelled fights and the losses that “Mulan” has endured over the past few years. Enough to test anyone’s patience – and commitment.

But Wu (12-4) is as quick to acknowledge the hard times as she is ready to consign them to the past, as she gears up for her return to the cage at UFC Vegas 51 this weekend, where she’ll face Brazilian Mayra Bueno Silva (7-2-1).

“There have been a lot of times when I have just felt like s*** and I’ve asked myself why these troubles always happen,” says Wu. “I have wanted to quit but I know if I quit I won’t get the money I want to give my family so they can live a good life, and I won’t get the honour that goes with fighting. So that’s what keeps me focused on the path I am on and that’s what keeps me moving forward.”

Wu’s last fight was a loss to Panama’s Joselyne Edwards (10-4) back at UFC Fight Island 7 in January 2021, a fight that saw Wu overwhelmed late, when the bout was there for the taking. Wu has seen six fights cancelled, for one reason or another, and she’s struggled through a knee injury, and to a record now in the UFC that reads 1-3. But the Las Vegas-based organisation have seen – like everyone who has watched Wu fight – the flashes of talent, and the potential.

In the lead up to Sunday’s fight, Wu has been working with Joey Villasenor, and a support act that includes former UFC bantamweight champion Holly Holm (14-5), at Jackson Wink MMA Academy in New Mexico. Wu says a lot of the work has been about building her confidence.