Tag: UFC Fight Night 223

Video: What is Song Yadong’s ceiling coming out of UFC Fight Night 223 win?

Just how far can Song Yadong go in the stacked UFC bantamweight division?

At UFC Fight Night 223 in Las Vegas, [autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] defeated Ricky Simon by stopping him in the fifth round of a pivotal bantamweight main event that will definitely push the Chinese fighter closer to a title shot.

The fifth-round stoppage means four of the past five fights have been wins for Yadong, who was coming off a loss to Cory Sandhagen.

What’s your take on the fight, the finish and Yadong’s position moving forward in the stacked UFC bantamweight division?

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Danny Segura, Brian “Goze” Garcia and Dan Tom weighed in with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia. You can watch their discussion in the video above and check out this week’s full episode below.

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Monday LIVE on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel. You can watch this week’s episode in the video above.

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, May 2: Song Yadong breaks through

Song Yadong bursts into the USA Today/MMA Junkie rankings after he blasted Ricky Simon at UFC Fight Night 223.

Just because all eyes landed on BKFC 41 (and Conor McGregor’s impromptu faceoff with Mike Perry) during the past combat sports weekend doesn’t mean impacts weren’t made at UFC Fight Night 223.

Atop the bill, Song Yadong made a statement when he battered Ricky Simon for a fifth-round TKO stoppage. The victory was Yadong’s fourth in his most recent five fights. It returns him back into the win column and potentially sets him up for a top-tier contender matchup next.

As a result, Yadong lands himself elevated spots in the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie bantamweight rankings.

UFC Fight Night co-main events have become clockwork for Caio Borralho, who moved to 3-0 in that card placement (and 4-0 overall) since he signed with the UFC in 2021. Borralho picked up his first UFC finish when he submitted Michal Oleksiejczuk in Round 2.

With the win, Borralho earns himself an honorable mention nod at middleweight.

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

Cody Durden squashes beef with Charles Johnson after win at UFC Fight Night 223

Cody Durden got his third straight win when he beat Charles Johnson at UFC Fight Night 223. But he won’t hold a grudge after heated buildup.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Cody Durden[/autotag] beat Charles Johnson with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 223 in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Durden, who won for the third straight time.

Jamey-Lyn Horth wouldn’t let Hailey Cowan’s weight miss stop octagon debut at UFC Fight Night 223

Jamey-Lyn Horth wasn’t going to let a weight miss from Hailey Cowan stop her UFC debut at UFC Fight Night 223 in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Jamey-Lyn Horth[/autotag] beat Hailey Cowan with a unanimous decision Saturday to open up the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 223 in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Horth, who got a win in her UFC debut – and spoiled the promotional debut for Cowan.

UFC Fight Night 223 reactions: Winning and losing fighters on social media

UFC Fight Night 223 winners and losers react on social media outlets such as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Since the early days when the sport was anything but a mainstream endeavor, the MMA industry has thrived and survived through various websites, forums, and – perhaps most importantly – social-media platforms.

Fighters interact with fans, each other and many more through the likes of Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, which helps outsiders get a deeper look into the minds of the athletes.

Following Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 223 in Las Vegas, several of the winning and losing fighters, along with their coaches, training partners or family members, took to social media to react to the event or share a message with supporters.

Check out some of those reactions.

* * * *

The defeated

Trey Waters credits patience, strength for short-notice win at UFC Fight Night 223

Trey Waters won the LFA’s welterweight title two weeks ago. Saturday, he was in the UFC for a short-notice debut win over Josh Quinlan.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Trey Waters[/autotag] beat Josh Quinlan with a unanimous decision Saturday to open up the main card at UFC Fight Night 223 in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Waters, who made his UFC debut just two weeks after he won LFA’s welterweight title.

Martin Buday critical of cardio in grinding win over Jake Collier at UFC Fight Night 223

Martin Buday beat Jake Collier for his 11th straight win at UFC Fight Night 223 in Las Vegas, but he was critical of his own performance.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Martin Buday[/autotag] beat Jake Collier with a unanimous decision Saturday to close out the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 223 in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Buday, who ran his winning streak to 11 fights.

Fernando Padilla rejects claims of early stoppage in TKO of Julian Erosa at UFC Fight Night 223

Fernando Padilla made his long-awaited and delayed promotional debut at UFC Fight Night 223 with a TKO that Julian Erosa disputed.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Fernando Padilla[/autotag] beat Julian Erosa with a first-round TKO Saturday on the main card at UFC Fight Night 223 in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Padilla, who was supposed to make his UFC debut in October 2021 before visa issues derailed the fight.

Spinning Back Clique: BKFC 41 and Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz’s arrest, Song Yadong’s arrival, more

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique” live stream covering the biggest topics in combat sports, like BKFC 41, Nate Diaz and UFC 288.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts. This week’s panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Danny Segura and Dan Tom will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate:

  • The UFC was in action this past Saturday, but so, too, was BKFC – and it made by far the bigger splash. BKFC 41 near Denver featured a main event of [autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag] vs. former UFC and Strikeforce champion [autotag]Luke Rockhold[/autotag], plus a co-main event of former UFC and Bellator champ [autotag]Eddie Alvarez[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Chad Mendes[/autotag]. The card also featured Ben Rothwell, Bec Rawlings – and [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] was there as a fan, then faced off with Perry! What is happening here?! Was this the start of the BKFC takeover?
  • [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] has been in the news. He turned himself in to police in New Orleans, was booked and released and now awaits the next process after an arrest that stemmed from footage of him choking a man unconscious. Diaz’s side said the man was a fellow fighter who came at Diaz, and Diaz merely acted in self defense. What are our thoughts on the scuffle.
  • Not to be forgotten, UFC Fight Night 223 went down in Las Vegas. It wasn’t a crazy card on paper, but in the main event, [autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] planted his flag as a bantamweight title contender with a dominant fifth-round finish of Ricky Simon. What’s Yadong’s position in the division, and at 25, what’s his timeline for when he might fight for a UFC title?
  • The UFC’s middleweight title picture seemed clear enough: Ex-champ [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] has been booked, and presumably the winner would be teed up for [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag]. But now Aeesanya, born in Africa, but living in New Zealand, has beef with Du Plessis, a South Africa native who still lives and trains there. Is Adsanya vs. Du Plessis the way to go now because of the heat it can pull from their new rivalry?
  • UFC 288 goes down Saturday in New Jersey, and while it won’t be in the running for the best numbered card of all time, it’s solid from top to bottom and the main event is loaded with intrigue. Bantamweight champion [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] will put his title on the line against former two-division champ [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag], who is coming out of retirement. It’s tight with the oddsmakers, but who has more to gain or lose?

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Monday LIVE on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel. You can watch this week’s episode in the video above.

Marcus McGhee explains how he won on just three days’ notice at UFC Fight Night 223

Marcus McGhee beat Journey Newson with a second-round submission at UFC Fight Night 223 – and did it on just three days’ notice.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Marcus McGhee[/autotag] beat Journey Newson with a second-round submission Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 223 in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with McGhee, who took the fight on just three days’ notice.