MIAMI – [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] has been on a downswing lately, but [autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] isn’t about to underestimate him as an opponent or the significance of their matchup heading into UFC 299.
Song (21-7-1 MMA, 10-2-1 UFC) will welcome back former bantamweight champion Yan from a year-long layoff when they open the main card of UFC 299 (pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+) on Saturday night at Kaseya Center.
“This fight is most important in my life so far,” Song told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s media day. “If I can win the fight, it’ll get me one step closer to the title.”
Ever since Yan (16-5 MMA, 8-4 UFC) lost his title by disqualification to Aljamain Sterling in 2021, things haven’t gone his way. After rebounding to beat Cory Sandhagen, Yan lost a pair of close split decisions – first in a title-fight rematch with Sterling and then to current champ Sean O’Malley – before he was dominated by Merab Dvalishvili in March 2023.
Even though Yan, No. 4 in the official UFC bantamweight rankings, has hit a rough patch, No. 7 Song still holds him in high regard and expects him to be at his best.
“Yeah, for sure, he was a former champion, top-level fighter,” Song said. “He has great striking. I believe he beat Sean, you know. He’s definitely a great fighter still. The long break won’t affect him any, I don’t think. Maybe give him more time to reflect on his skill and improve him.”
Song, who enters on a two-fight winning streak after beating Ricky Simon and Chris Gutierrez, originally was scheduled to headline UFC Fight Night against Yan in December, but the former champ withdrew with an injury. Things worked out, though, and now Song has the opportunity to make a statement against a former champ on the biggest fight card of the year.
“This fight I really wanted,” Song said. “… Right now is a pretty good time. I had more time to prepare. Now I feel really good. I’m well prepared, I feel, mentally, physically, yeah.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.