appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Josh Ball

Song Yadong got the victory he and his fans so desperately wanted in Macau on Saturday, submitting Deiveson Figueiredo in their bantamweight bout at UFC Fight Night.
The Chinese fighter had come into the contest on the back of a difficult loss to Sean O’Malley, but put himself right back in the title conversation with an impressive performance against the former featherweight world champion.
After testing each other’s strengths and weaknesses in a cagey opening, Song really started to pull ahead, and as Figueiredo shot for a takedown after getting calf-kicked, Song worked his way into a guillotine choke and squeezed out the tap as the second round neared its end.
“I’m so proud of myself for getting the guillotine,” the 28-year-old, who is ranked fifth in the division, said. “I have done it before in sparring, but never in a fight.
“I didn’t expect him to tap so quick. I didn’t have full power, I gave it a little twist, he tapped and I won.”

Song’s triumph saved what had otherwise been a rather miserable night for the home crowd at Galaxy Arena, with a succession of local favourites coming off second best.
Slotted into the preliminary card at short notice, Peruvian new boy Rodrigo Vera made the most of his opportunity, wrapping up a victory by TKO over featherweight rival Zhu Kangjie in round one.
It largely set the pattern for what followed, although Kevin Chang, UFC senior vice-president and head of Asia, did not believe the pressure of performing in front of home fans had got to the local contingent.
“There are no easy fights in the UFC,” Chang said. “I don’t think the pressure got to them. Just the nature of our sport and how competitive it is these days.”
American strawweight Angela Hill powered her way to a unanimous decision win over Xiong Jingnan, while Australia’s Cody Haddon took slightly longer before a knee to the liver of Mongolia’s Aoriqileng ended their bantamweight bout in the second round.
Ding Meng, meanwhile, might consider himself unlucky to have come out on the wrong end of a split decision loss to Jose Souza at welterweight.
The Shaanxi native was on the front foot at the start, and aimed a succession of low kicks, while they landed they did little damage.
Souza, meanwhile, went high and landed several heavy shots, including a second-round knee that had his opponent reeling.
The chorus of boos from most of the 12,647 fans that greeted the result was only made louder by the 24-year-old Brazilian’s antics after, which would not have looked out of place at a WWE event.
If Ding had been slightly unlucky, then Su Mudaerji, who opened up the main card, was just downright unfortunate in his fight being ruled a no contest.
The Tibetan had largely dominated his flyweight bout against the 11th ranked Alex Perez, but caught his opponent with a kick to the groin in the second round, and after five minutes of his American rival rolling on the canvas, it was determined the fight could not continue.
There was little to cheer in some of the contests that followed, with Sergei Pavlovich taking just 39 seconds to dispatch Tallison Teixeira in their heavyweight clash.
Zhang Mingyang’s clash with Alonzo Menifield, which was the fight of the night, was the sort of battle you would hope to see from two light heavyweights as the co-main event.
The pair threw technique out of the window and swung at each other from the start, and after more than four minutes of bashing away, Menifield landed the shot that ended the contest.
Defeat left China’s fighters winless for the evening up to that point, and so it fell to Song to salvage some pride.
“When you’re in the top five in the UFC, it’s a killer’s row,” Chang said. “These guys are the best in the world, I thought he showed what he can do and is right in that conversation for contending.”


Will UFC be a hit in China with a Shanghai bout – and a home-grown contender?

Chinese MMA stars Song Yadong, Yan Xiaonan to take top billing at UFC Fight Night Shanghai

Meet Paul Tudor Jones’ daughter, Caroline Jones – who performed at Trump’s UFC Freedom 250

FBI says foiled drone and sniper plot at Trump’s White House fight night

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)

UFC Fight Night: Song raises spirits on bad night for Chinese fighters in Macau

Song Yadong celebrates after beating Deiveson Figueiredo by submission in their bantamweight bout in Macau. Photo: Getty Images

Angela Hill (right) punches China’s Xiong Jingnan during their bout at UFC Fight Night at the Galaxy Arena. Photo: AFP

Macau will be launch pad to Asia as promotion looks East, UFC boss Kevin Chang says

Kevin Chang, UFC's senior vice-president and head of Asia, delivers a speech at the opening ceremony of UFC Fight Night at the Galaxy Hotel resort in Macau on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

Chinese heavyweight Zhang Mingyang greets the public before a workout session. Photo: AFP

Japan’s Tatsuro Taira (left) is one of 30-plus Asian fighters on the UFC roster. Photo: Imagn Images

UFC Macau: China’s Song Yadong out for statement win against Brazil’s Deiveson Figueiredo

Chinese fighter Song Yadong (left) taking part in a workout session at the opening ceremony of UFC Fight Night at Macau's Galaxy resort on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

Brazil’s Deiveson Figueiredo greets fans at the end of a workout session in Macau. Photo: AFP

Song Yadong last fought in China in Beijing in 2018. Photo: The Fight Nation

Sport

China

Song Yadong submits Deiveson Figueiredo in second round, the only win among large number of local fighters on card


Song Yadong submits Deiveson Figueiredo in second round, the only win among large number of local fighters on card.


UFC Fight Night: Song raises spirits on bad night for Chinese fighters in Macau

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Song Yadong submits Deiveson Figueiredo in second round, the only win among large number of local fighters on card

Song Yadong submits Deiveson Figueiredo in second round, the only win among large number of local fighters on card