The fight took place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. on December 14, 2019
Yan, who was the #3 ranked bantamweight contender at the time, came out aggressive and landed several hard punches in the early going. Faber, who was a UFC Hall of Famer and former WEC bantamweight champion, tried to fight back, but Yan was simply too fast and powerful.
In the second round, Yan landed a devastating left hook that knocked Faber out cold. The referee immediately stopped the fight and Yan was declared the winner.
The win over Faber gave Yan a lot of momentum and he went on to win the UFC bantamweight title in his next fight against Jose Aldo at UFC 251 in July 2020. He lost the title to Aljamain Sterling in his first title defense at UFC 259 in March 2021, but he is expected to get a rematch with Sterling later this year.
Here are some of the highlights of the fight:
- Yan landed 63 significant strikes in the fight, compared to just 28 for Faber.
- Yan had a striking accuracy of 58%, compared to just 33% for Faber.
- Yan landed 10 of 12 takedown attempts, while Faber landed none.
- Yan controlled the fight for the majority of the time, landing more strikes and takedowns.
The win over Faber was a major statement win for Yan and it showed that he is one of the top bantamweight fighters in the world. He is now looking to get back the UFC bantamweight title and cement his place as the best 135-pound fighter in the world.