Athletes
Song Yadong | Primed To Take The Next Step
Bantamweight Standout Discusses Challenging 2024, Main Event Pairing With Henry Cejudo
Beginning his eighth year on the UFC roster, Song Yadong heads into his main event showdown with Henry Cejudo this weekend at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle coming off his longest stay on the sidelines since debuting in the Octagon.
The last time the 27-year-old made the walk was last March at UFC 299 in Miami, when he faced off with Petr Yan. After dropping the opening round on all three scorecards, the former champion found his range and his timing, outworking his younger opponent over the final two rounds to claim a victory and halt Song’s two-fight winning streak.
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There was an expectation and desire to have the native of Heilongjiang compete on the November fight card in Macau, but the right opportunity never came together, resulting in his absence extending into the new year.
“For me, it’s hard to spend the time (not fighting),” Song said Wednesday afternoon. “My opponent got injured, it was not the right time. The UFC wanted me to fight in Macau, but no one wanted to fight me over there.
“This week is what I want: I want to fight Henry and I’m not thinking about (last year too much), but it was hard.”
The missed opportunity at home last year has paved the way for this weekend’s headlining clash with Cejudo, which carries significant stakes in the hyper-active bantamweight division.
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While the former champ has faltered in each of his first two appearances since ending his three-year sabbatical, he remains stationed in the Top 10, entering Saturday’s contest at No. 7, one spot ahead of Song.
With champion Merab Dvalishvili having just successfully defended his title against No. 1 contender Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 in January and the title picture still blurry for the moment, the talented “Kung Fu Kid” is overjoyed with the chance to headline in the Pacific Northwest and potentially secure himself another chance to fight his way into the upper echelon of the 135-pound weight class.
“I am so excited about this fight in Seattle,” began the Team Alpha representative, who carries a 10-3-1 record under the UFC banner into his second promotional main event this weekend. “There are a lot of Chinese people here, and I’m the main event; I’m so happy about that.
“My last main event fight was at the APEX, but this one is different — this one is the real main event for me — and this one is against a legend in Cejudo, a two-division UFC champion and Olympic champion; I’m so honored.
“He’s a legend, so if I win this fight, I have another chance to challenge for the Top 5 and then to get the title, so I have to win this one,” he added. “It’s motivating for me.
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“He has a big name, so if I win this one, everybody is gonna know who I am. I will go hard and do my best to win this one.”
Contrary to his own assessment, people are already acutely aware of who Song is, and many recognize this contest as an opportunity for the young veteran to potentially take the next step forward in his career.
Because he debuted in the UFC in 2017 and already has more than 30 fights under his belt, it’s easy to forget that the Chinese powerhouse only turned 27 in December, finally reaching the age when most believe an athlete begins to enter their prime.
Though there have been a couple stumbles in key fights with Top 5 opposition, that’s a rite of passage that most ascendent fighters have to navigate at one point or another in order to finally reach a point where they’re prepared to take that next step and be ready to challenge for championship gold.
Heading into Saturday night’s main event, Song believes that is exactly where he stands.
“Yeah, I feel it’s time,” he said when asked about his progression and where he's at in his development. “I feel my technique, mentally, I’m totally ready; I’m ready for a title shot.”
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In order to get there, he first needs to get through Cejudo, who touches down in Seattle with big motivations of his own.
After pressing pause on his career after successfully defending the bantamweight title at UFC 249, “Triple C” returned to action in May 2023, landing on the wrong side of a split decision verdict against then-champion Aljamain Sterling before dropping a unanimous decision to Merab Dvalishvili in the last fight before “The Machine” rose to the top of the 135-pound weight class.
A fierce competitor that has thrived at the top of both wrestling and mixed martial arts, Cejudo is laser-focused on getting things moving in the right direction again this weekend, and Song is eager to hand him a third straight loss, while hopefully becoming the first person to put the former two-weight world champion out.
“Of course I wanna knock him out,” he said with a smile when asked how he envisions the fight playing out. “Finishing him is my goal.”
UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs Song took place live from Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington on February 22, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!