Athletes
Song Yadong Ready For Biggest Test To Date
Standout Bantamweight Confident, Focused Ahead Of Clash With Former Champion At UFC 299
The lead up to Song Yadong’s second appearance of 2023 brought an avalanche of emotions tumbling down on the talented UFC bantamweight.
Originally scheduled to face former champion Petr Yan in the main event of the promotion’s return to Shanghai, which offered a chance for the Chinese standout to compete in his home country for the first time in five years, both pieces of that December opportunity came apart in mid-November.
How To Watch UFC 299 In Your Country
Yan withdrew and the card was moved back to Las Vegas, with Song positioned opposite Chris Gutierrez in the main event instead. And then on fight night, the 26-year-old Top 10 talent watched in the back as his dear friend Sumudaerji faced off with veteran Tim Elliott earlier in the evening, and struggled to keep his emotions in check when his countryman was submitted in the second round.
Song Yadong Looks Forward To His Own Performance | UFC 299
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Song Yadong Looks Forward To His Own Performance | UFC 299
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“We were supposed to fight in December, but he got injured or something,” began Song, who gets the chance to share the Octagon with Yan this weekend in the opening bout of the UFC 299 pay-per-view main card on Saturday night at Kaseya Center in Miami. “I was so disappointed; the fans in my country are still disappointed, and I want to fight him really bad.
“I was disappointed and so sad, crying in the locker room; it affected me so much,” he said regarding watching his friend compete and lose before stepping in with Gutierrez, whom he beat by unanimous decision. “It was hard to adjust my emotions, my mindset; it wasn’t until the third round that I was back in shape in my fight.”
Though not quite the same situation as December, Song does share this weekend’s fight card with a friend and teammate, as Maycee Barber faces off with Katlyn Cerminara (nee Chookagian) in the penultimate preliminary card matchup of the evening.
So does he foresee any issues staying dialed in ahead of his clash with Yan with Barber making the walk before him?
Song Yadong Fight Week Interview | UFC 299
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Song Yadong Fight Week Interview | UFC 299
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“I had a one-time experience before the fight, so I will be okay, I think,” he said, smiling. “I think I won’t be like that anymore in the future, and I think (Maycee) will win the fight, definitely.”
While Barber gets the opportunity to face a former title challenger, Song shares the Octagon with a former champion, who enters in an odd position.
UFC 299 Full Fight Card Preview
Three years ago, Yan walked into UFC 259 as the reigning, defending, undisputed UFC bantamweight champion of the world — a perfect 7-0 since arriving on the biggest stage in the sport and brandishing a 15-1 record overall. Late in the fourth round of his title defense against Aljamain Sterling, the fight was trending in the right direction for the champion, until an illegal knee changed everything.
Yan lost the belt by disqualification and then claimed the interim strap with a win over Cory Sandhagen to ensure a rematch with Sterling. He lost their second meeting by split decision, suffered a similar fate in a pairing with current titleholder Sean O’Malley six months later, and found himself on the business end of things in a one-sided bout with Merab Dvalishvili last March.
Despite his recent struggles, the 31-year-old Russian is still universally regarded as one of the absolute best bantamweights on the planet, which is why Song is thrilled to finally get to test himself against Yan this weekend in Miami.
“I’m so excited about the fight; I can’t wait,” said Song, who has forged a 10-2-1 record under the UFC banner that includes victories over Gutierrez, Ricky Simon, Marlon Moraes, and UFC 299 title challenger Marlon “Chito” Vera. “First of all, I am on the main card, and I’m fighting with Petr Yan, who is one of the best fighters in the world.
“I want to know who the best striker in the bantamweight division is. People know his boxing is good, but I’ve trained boxing for a long time and I want to know who is the best boxer in the UFC bantamweight division.
“I think right now is a good time,” he added regarding his rebooking with Yan this weekend. “I’ve had more time to prepare. My last fight was a good camp, so I got more experience from that fight. This one, I feel well prepared, mentally and physically.”
Song has been viewed as a future contender since debuting in the UFC all the way back in 2017, and has continued to progress in that direction ever since, with only a couple detours and delays along the way.
The last three years have been key for him, from a developmental standpoint, as he learned from his UFC 259 loss to Kyler Phillips, who also competes this weekend, by producing the best results of his career over his last five victories, and has benefitted from extended time training in Sacramento with Team Alpha Male and making frequent appearances at the UFC APEX.
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“I fought in APEX my last five fights, and I’ve enjoyed it because it’s so quiet and makes me focus,” offered Song, who travels home to China following each of his fights, but resides in the California capital. “I’m so happy I can live in America because it makes me disciplined, with no distractions. In China, I have a lot of things to do — a lot of friends, family, fans, sponsors.
“I’ve been training so hard in camp, so I don’t think too much step-by-step in terms of improving myself,” he said when asked about the gains he’s made over the last two years. “Every camp, I train every aspect, every skill, each day.”
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Now, after a couple years, and the disappointment from the end of last year, Song gets to test those skills against Yan in front of a packed house in Miami, and it’s clear that he’s counting down the minutes until he makes that walk on Saturday night.
“Two years of fights without an audience, so this is going to make me hyped; I can’t wait!” he said of competing in front of a crowd this weekend and opening up the main card. “UFC is smart! It’s a good decision to put us at the beginning of the main card; it’s definitely going to be an aggressive fight.
“It’s good for me, good for UFC, good for fans.”
And if things go well this weekend, it will bring Song a big step closer to achieving his dream, and he intends to make that happen.
“This is the most important fight in my life so far,” he offered. “Winning the fight can get me closer to the title. I want to be the first Chinese male UFC champion; the first male Asian UFC champion!
“I want to dominate the fight,” he added, smiling as he gave voice to his desires. “I want to show fans how good I am; I’ll do my best to knock him out.”
UFC 299: O'Malley vs Vera 2 took place live from Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida on March 9, 2024. See the final Prelims & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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