"They probably won’t give me Sean O’Malley. UFC want to protect him"- Song Yadong on his UFC Vegas 72 callout
Song Yadong came out on top in his main event clash against Ricky Simon this past weekend. After the fight, he expressed his intentions to take on a top-five opponent from the bantamweight division in his next fight.
Although it was fairly even in the first round, Song pulled ahead in the next three rounds. A barrage of clean strikes and frequent use of leg kicks, including some high kick attempts, swayed the bout in favor of the Chinese 135lber. He ultimately found the finish in the final frame, marking his fifth knockout victory in the UFC.
In his post-fight octagon interview with Daniel Cormier, Song was clear about wanting a top-five opponent in his next fight, even naming his preferred opponents:
"I want to fight top five fighters. And good wrestler, good defense. Sean O’Malley! Or Chito Vera, you want to fight again? Rematch? If you don’t agree with our first fight, let’s go."
Catch Song's post-fight interview below:
'Kung Fu Kid' challenged Vera to a rematch after their controversial first meeting at UFC on ESPN 8, where a unanimous decision went Song's way. Although he started the bout strongly, Vera seemed in control throughout, making good use of the clinch and using strike combos to keep the pressure on. Song himself admitted to being poor in the fight and expecting a split decision.
In addition, during his post-fight press conference, Song Yadong admitted that he is unlikely to get a matchup against Sean O'Malley. He reasoned that the UFC will want to avoid a potential loss for 'Sugar':
“So I want to fight top five fighters. Even Font, he’s six? Right, he’s okay. Chito Vera and Sean O’Malley. But probably they don’t give me Sean O’Malley, UFC protect him. Yeah, whatever, just top five. My goal is fight top five fighters this year.”
Check out all of Song Yadong's comments in the press conference below:
Song Yadong eyes matchup against Aljamain Sterling in 2024 if he remains champion
Bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling was closely following UFC Vegas 72's main event and was impressed by Song Yadong's performance. He took to Twitter to praise the Chinese fighter.
He wrote:
"That dude Song is a beast frfr! #UFCVegas72"
That dude Song is a beast frfr! #UFCVegas72
'Kung Fu Kid' was not swayed by the praise, but instead challenged 'Funk Master' to retain the belt and promised to see him in 2024:
"Keep the belt, see you in 2024"
Keep the belt, see you in 2024 twitter.com/funkmastermma/…
Aljamain Sterling will take on former bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo this coming weekend at UFC 288. The returning Cejudo will be a stern test for the champion, having dominated inside the octagon at two different weight classes prior to his 'retirement'.