Mackenzie Dern vs. Yan Xiaonan headlines Oct. 1 UFC Fight Night event

Top-tier strawweights Mackenzie Dern and Yan Xiaonan will headline a Oct. 1 UFC Fight Night event at a location to be determined.

Multiple people with knowledge of the promotion’s plans confirmed the fight to MMA Fighting following a report from ESPN.com. The fight card’s official order has not been confirmed.

Dern, the No. 6 ranked strawweight in MMA Fighting’s Global Rankings, hopes to get back in the title picture after a loss to Marina Rodriguez stalled her ascent. In her most recent appearance, she got back in the win column with a decision over veteran Tecia Torres for her seventh overall UFC win.

Xiaonan, meanwhile, needs to resuscitate her career after back-to-back losses in her most recent outings. The Chinese fighter surged into contention with five straight wins before losses to Carla Esparza and, most recently, Rodriguez at UFC 272.

Strawweight champ Esparza expects to defend her title by the end of this year, she recently told MMA Fighting, but she has not confirmed an opponent yet. Rodriguez has strongly campaigned to be next in line.