Denise Gomes may have punched her ticket to a UFC women's strawweight ***** le shot earlier this morning (Sat., Aug. 29, 2026) at UFC Shanghai LIVE on Paramount+ from inside the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai, China, after stifling former UFC ***** le challenger Yan Xiaonan with a powerful first-round knockout (head kick and punches).
This co-main event matchup may not have jumped off the paper for many fight fans, but it always had the potential to deliver fireworks. That's because Yan is one of the most seasoned vets on the 115-pound roster and Gomes is one of the most vicious finishers. It was a recipe for disaster and one strawweight was going to end up on the losing end. Unfortunately for Yan, that was her in front of her own home crowd.
While Yan had her moments in the first round it was all about Gomes and her ability to land hard shots at almost every turn. Yan did well to stay busy and prevent Gomes from really pulling ahead, but that all changed when Gomes unleashed a head kick with 15 seconds left on the clock. It landed flush, cracked Yan, and allowed Gomes to land a few follow-up punches to earn the knockout stoppage.
Check out the video highlights below:
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