Tag: Song Yadong

Song Yadong: UFC 299 fight vs. Petr Yan ‘most important in my life so far’

Petr Yan has been on a downswing lately, but Song Yadong isn’t about to underestimate him or the significance of their fight before UFC 299. 

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.

UFC 299 pre-event facts: Inside the numbers of stacked Miami lineup

The best facts and figures about UFC 299, which features an absolutely stacked lineup with history on the line for multiple fighters.

The final event in the 200s-era of numbered UFC cards goes down Saturday at UFC 299, and the event from Kaseya Center (pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+) is one of the most stacked in recent memory.

A lineup filled with a plethora of former title challengers, top-ranked contenders and more, is headline by a bantamweight title rematch. Reigning champ [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) will attempt to make his first defense while simultaneously trying to avenge his only career loss against [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] (21-8-1 MMA, 15-7 UFC), who won the first matchup by first-round TKO at UFC 252 in August 2020.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts for UFC 299.

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Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera

UFC 299 ‘Embedded,’ No. 2: Sean O’Malley gets his hair colored, ready for Miami

With input from his wife, Sean O’Malley picks out his hair colors for UFC 299 in the second installment of “Embedded.”

The UFC is back for its third pay-per-view of 2024, and the popular “Embedded” fight week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.

UFC 299 (pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+) takes place Saturday at Kaseya Center in Miami.

In the main event, bantamweight champion [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) makes his first title defense against [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] (21-8-1 MMA, 15-7 UFC), with the champ looking to avenge his only loss, which came against “Chito” by TKO in 2020. The co-headliner is a five-round lightweight showdown between veteran [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] (29-8 MMA, 21-7 UFC) and rising contender [autotag]Benoit Saint-Denis[/autotag] (13-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC), who has a golden opportunity to make a name for himself on a big stage.

Also featured on the main card is the debut former Bellator star [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] (21-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) against [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] (25-10 MMA, 12-7 UFC) in a welterweight bout; [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] (22-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC) vs. [autotag]Jack Della Maddalena[/autotag] (16-2 MMA, 6-0 UFC) in another welterweight showcase; and former bantamweight champion [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] (16-5 MMA, 8-4 UFC) looking to get back on track against rising Chinese star [autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] (21-7-1 MMA, 10-2-1 UFC).

The second episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:

Marlon “Chito” Vera sees to business and chills with Ben Azelart. Champ Sean O’Malley gets caffeinated and colorful. Jack Della Maddalena checks out Florida’s gators. Benoit Saint Denis trains to face a legend. “Suga” Sean travels in style.

Also watch:

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.

UFC 299 ‘Embedded,’ No. 1: Michael Page locked in, says ‘you are going to enjoy everything’ about debut

In the first episode of UFC 299 “Embedded,” Michael Page let’s us in on his mindset heading into his long-awaited promotional debut.

The UFC is back for its third pay-per-view of 2024, and the popular “Embedded” fight week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.

UFC 299 (pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+) takes place Saturday at Kaseya Center in Miami.

In the main event, bantamweight champion [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) makes his first title defense against [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] (21-8-1 MMA, 15-7 UFC), with the champ looking to avenge his only loss, which came against “Chito” by TKO in 2020. The co-headliner is a five-round lightweight showdown between veteran [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] (29-8 MMA, 21-7 UFC) and rising contender [autotag]Benoit Saint-Denis[/autotag] (13-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC), who has a golden opportunity to make a name for himself on a big stage.

Also featured on the main card is the debut former Bellator star [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] (21-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) against [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] (25-10 MMA, 12-7 UFC) in a welterweight bout; [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] (22-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC) vs. [autotag]Jack Della Maddalena[/autotag] (16-2 MMA, 6-0 UFC) in another welterweight showcase; and former bantamweight champion [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] (16-5 MMA, 8-4 UFC) looking to get back on track against rising Chinese star [autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] (21-7-1 MMA, 10-2-1 UFC).

The first episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:

Champ Sean O’Malley goes from gym to salon. Gilbert Burns trains with Kamaru Usman. Marlon “Chito” Vera takes family time. Benoit Saint Denis arrives; Michael “Venom” Page readies to make his debut. Dustin Poirier puts in work.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC fights announced in the past week (Dec. 11-17)

All the UFC fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Dec. 11-17.

UFC 299 adds Song Yadong vs. Petr Yan to stacked Miami lineup

A long-rumored UFC bantamweight contender bout between Song Yadong and Petr Yan is on the books.

LAS VEGAS – UFC 299 in Miami is loaded with big contender fights and the additions keep coming.

A long-rumored bantamweight bout between [autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] and [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] is on the books for the March 9 event at Kaseya Center, UFC CEO Dana White announced Saturday following UFC 296.

Song (21-7-1 MMA, 10-2 UFC) and Yan (16-5 MMA, 8-4 UFC) were initially linked for a Dec. 9 bout in Shanghai, China. However, it never materialized and Song was matched with Chris Gutierrez instead. The bout was eventually moved to Las Vegas. Song won by unanimous decision. The win over Gutierrez was his second in a row, after a knockout of Ricky Simon.

Yan is a former UFC bantamweight champion, who enters the bout on a three-fight skid. The losses were against Aljamain Sterling, Sean O’Malley, and Merab Dvalishvili. He has not competed since March.

With the addition, the UFC 299 fight card includes:

  • Champion Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera – for bantamweight title
  • Gilbert Burns vs. Jack Della Maddalena
  • Jailton Almeida vs. Curtis Blaydes
  • Ian Machado Garry vs. Geoff Neal
  • Song Yadong vs. Petr Yan
  • Pedro Munhoz vs. Kyler Phillips
  • Asu Almabaev vs. CJ Vergara
  • Maycee Barber vs. Katlyn Chookagian
  • Rafael dos Anjos vs. Mateusz Gamrot
  • Lauren Murphy vs. Karine Silva
  • Kevin Holland vs. Michael Page

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Dec. 12: Song Yadong, Khalil Rountree move upward

Check out the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings following UFC Fight Night 233 in Las Vegas.

The UFC’s penultimate event of 2023 in Las Vegas produced a few moves in this week’s rankings update.

UFC Fight Night 233 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and was headlined by a bantamweight bout between [autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] and Chris Gutierrez.

Song, who entered the week at No. 9 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie bantamweight rankings, soundly defeated Gutierrez by unanimous decision. As a result, Song’s performance was strong enough to climb one spot in this week’s update, settling in at No. 8 behind former champion Petr Yan.

Also making waves at the event was light heavyweight [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] in a bout against short-notice opponent Anthony Smith. Rountree badly rocked and dropped the former title challenger in Round 3, leading to a walk-off TKO stoppage. Rountree entered the week at No. 12, but climbed up one spot for the easy swap with Smith, who held No. 11.

Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings above.

Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Song Yadong after UFC Fight Night 233 win?

Song Yadong has won four of five fights after UFC Fight Night 233 and, whether it’s Petr Yan or not, is in store for something big next.

The UFC’s final non-PPV main event of the year went the way of [autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] on Saturday at UFC Fight Night 233, and it wasn’t particularly close.

Song (21-7-1 MMA, 10-2-1 UFC) had his way with Chris Gutierrez (20-6-2 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) for the majority of five rounds in their bantamweight headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, earning him a unanimous decision victory and his fourth triumphant performance in his past five octagon efforts.

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Although it wasn’t the most entertaining contest or spectacular finish of his career, Song gets valuable experience and continued to hold serve in a loaded 135-pound weight class.

The Chinese fighter firmly called out former champion Petr Yan after his win, but also said any top-five fighter in the division would satisfy him.

So what should be next for Song? Watch the video above for thoughts and analysis on his future after UFC Fight Night 233.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 233.

4 biggest takeaways from UFC Fight Night 233: The fallout of Khalil Rountree punishing Anthony Smith

Analysis of the biggest storylines coming out of UFC Fight Night 233, including the fallout of Khalil Rountree battering Anthony Smith.

What mattered most at UFC Fight Night 233 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas? Here are a few post-fight musings …

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UFC Fight Night 233 post-event facts: Khalil Rountree inches closer to Chuck Liddell’s KO record

Check out all the facts from UFC Fight Night 233, which saw Khalil Rountree move closer to Chuck Liddell’s longstanding knockout record.

There’s just one event left on the UFC’s 2023 schedule after UFC Fight Night 233 came to a conclusion on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

An underwhelming lineup fell in the shadow of UFC 296 this weekend, and the main event wasn’t particularly memorable as [autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] (21-7-1 MMA, 10-2-1 UFC) proved to be too much for [autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag] (20-6-2 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) in their bantamweight matchup en route to a unanimous decision win.

For more on the numbers to come out of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts about UFC Fight Night 233.

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