The UFC is returning to China for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The promotion has booked a Fight Night event in Shanghai for Dec. 9. The event will be headlined by a key bantamweight bout pitting China’s [autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] against [autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag].
The news was first reported by “MagicM_MMABets” on X and later confirmed by MMA Junkie.
Yadong (20-7-1 MMA, 9-2-1 UFC) was scheduled to fight Rob Font in August at UFC 292, but withdrew from the matchup due to undisclosed reasons. The 25-year-old most recently competed in a five-round bout on April 29 at UFC Fight Night 223 when he finished Ricky Simon with punches early in Round 5. Yadong has won four of his most recent five bouts, with the only loss a TKO due to a laceration against Cory Sandhagen.
On the other hand, Gutierrez (20-4-2 MMA, 8-2-1 UFC) fought last month at UFC Fight Night 230 in Las Vegas where he defeated Mongolia’s Alateng Heili in a unanimous decision. The victory put Gutierrez back in the win column, as he previously lost a unanimous to long-time contender Pedro Munhoz in April.
With the addition, the current UFC Fight Night line up on Dec. 9 includes:
- Song Yadong vs. Chris Gutierrez
- Andre Muniz vs. Jun Yong Park
- Nasrat Haqparast vs. Jamie Mullarkey
- Tatsuro Taira vs. Carlos Hernandez
- Brendson Ribeiro vs. Mingyang Zhang
- Allan Nascimento vs. Su Mudaerji
- Hyun Sung Park vs. Shannon Ross
- Chang Ho Lee vs. Long Xiao
- Jiniushiyue vs. Rei Tsuruya
- Kaiwen Li vs. Yizha
- Shin Haraguchi vs. Rong Zhu
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