Virna Jandiroba has her sights set on her next opponent to strengthen her case for a UFC strawweight title shot.
Despite winning four straight fights, Jandiroba (21-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) was not chosen as the next challenger for Zhang Weili’s title. Instead, Weili will face Tatiana Suarez at UFC 312 in February, who withdrew from a fight against Jandiroba at UFC 310.
On Wednesday, Jandiroba publicly called out former title challenger Yan Xiaonan as her potential next opponent.
“Hey, Yan!! While Weili Zhang and Tatiana Suarez are busy, I think we should have some fun together in the cage,” Jandiroba wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “What do you think?”
Hey, Yan!! @yanxiaonan
While Weili Zhang and Tatiana Suarez are busy, I think we should have some fun together in the cage.
What do you think?
🦅 🤼♀️ 🇧🇷vs🇨🇳 #UFC #Topranked #Contenders @danawhite @Mickmaynard2 @ufc @UFCFightPass @UFCBrasil @UFCNews @UFCEurope
— Virna Jandiroba (@VirnaJandiroba) December 18, 2024
In 2024, Jandiroba fought twice and moved from the prelims to a main event. She secured a unanimous decision victory over Loopy Godinez in March at UFC and then claimed her first main event win by submitting Amanda Lemos with a second-round armbar.
Yan (19-4 MMA, 9-3 UFC) previously faced Weili in her first title opportunity at UFC 300, where she lost by unanimous decision. She bounced back with a unanimous decision win over Tabatha Ricci in November.
In the latest USA TODAY SPORTS/MMA Junkie women’s strawweight rankings, Jandiroba holds the No. 3 spot, with Yan trailing closely behind at No. 4.
Don’t forget to check out the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to engage with fellow mixed martial arts fans about this and other content.
