Song Yadong

Song added one of the best names on his recent run by catching Figueiredo with a guillotine late in the second round. The finish mattered because it came against another former champion and showed that his threat is not limited to striking exchanges.

Key moments

• Submitted Figueiredo with a guillotine choke in round two.
• Closed the finish at 4:42 of the second frame.
• Collected another marquee bantamweight win.

O'Malley's reach and shot selection forced Song into a fight with fewer clean entries than he wanted, and the judges awarded a unanimous decision the other way after three rounds. Song stayed competitive, but he never fully solved the distance problem.

Key moments

• Lost a three-round unanimous decision to O'Malley.
• Spent much of the fight working to close range against the longer striker.
• The defeat stalled his immediate push toward the title picture.

Song's main-event win over Cejudo was not tidy, but it was meaningful because he stayed composed against a former two-division champion and won the scorecards when the fight was stopped after an accidental eye poke. The technical decision still counted as a major contender result.

Key moments

• Won a technical unanimous decision in a five-round main event.
• Beat a former champion in a high-profile bantamweight matchup.
• Banked enough of the fight before the stoppage to earn the verdict.

Yan's tight combinations and veteran pacing made this a difficult stylistic test for Song, who had success in spots but not enough sustained momentum to sway the cards. After fifteen minutes the decision went clearly to Yan.

Key moments

• Dropped a unanimous decision against a former champion.
• Faced a measured boxing-heavy fight over three rounds.
• Could not generate enough sustained offense to flip the scorecards.

Song controlled his own main event well against Gutierrez and handled the full five rounds without losing structure. The unanimous decision showed he could headline, manage pace and still keep the sharper moments on his side.

Key moments

• Won a five-round unanimous decision in a main event.
• Managed a full 25-minute bantamweight fight effectively.
• Used the performance to stay planted in the contender tier.

Song delivered one of the strongest main-event wins of his career by stopping Ricky Simón early in the fifth round at the Apex. The finish mattered because Simón had entered on a long streak and the performance showed Song could carry real power and composure deep into a twenty-five-minute fight.

Key moments

• Stopped Simón with punches 1:10 into round five in the main event.
• The win came after Song had lost to Cory Sandhagen in his previous outing.
• It re-established him in the bantamweight contender tier heading into the Gutierrez matchup.

Song's first UFC main event ended in frustration when a bad cut over his eye forced a doctor stoppage after four rounds against Cory Sandhagen. The loss mattered because it snapped his momentum at the edge of title contention, even though he had enough moments in the striking exchanges to show he belonged in that level of fight.

Key moments

• Lost by doctor stoppage at the end of round four in Las Vegas.
• The bout marked Song's first UFC headliner.
• It halted the three-fight surge that had included wins over Marlon Moraes, Julio Arce and Casey Kenney.

Song made a clean statement against former title challenger Marlon Moraes by flattening him with punches in the first round. The knockout carried weight because it was the kind of veteran-name win that pushed Song from prospect status toward the real bantamweight contender conversation.

Key moments

• Knocked out Moraes 2:06 into the opening round at the Apex.
• The finish gave Song his first UFC win of 2022.
• It set up the September main event with Cory Sandhagen.

Song followed the Kenney decision with a sharper finish, hurting Julio Arce with a head kick and swarming to a second-round stoppage. The result mattered because it reminded people that his boxing was not his only danger and gave him back-to-back wins after the Kyler Phillips setback.

Key moments

• Stopped Arce at 1:35 of round two after landing the head kick.
• The win followed the split decision over Casey Kenney three months earlier.
• It gave Song consecutive victories heading into the Moraes fight.

Song steadied himself after the Kyler Phillips loss by taking a competitive split decision over Casey Kenney at UFC 265. It was an important reset win rather than a breakout one, because it kept him moving forward in a crowded division and prevented a second straight loss from stalling his rise.

Key moments

• Beat Kenney by split decision after three close rounds in Houston.
• The victory came one fight after the unanimous-decision loss to Kyler Phillips.
• It started the three-fight winning run that carried Song into his first UFC main event.

Phillips handed Song his first UFC loss by building an early lead and surviving Song's late charge for a unanimous decision at UFC 259. The fight mattered because it interrupted Song's unbeaten run in the promotion and forced a reset before the Casey Kenney matchup.

Key moments

• Lost a unanimous decision after three rounds in Las Vegas.
• Phillips banked the stronger early work before Song rallied late.
• The result snapped Song's undefeated start in the UFC.

Song beat Marlon Vera in a competitive three-round fight at the Jacksonville Apex, taking a unanimous decision on all three scorecards. The win was important because it held his place as a rising bantamweight against an opponent who was already established as a difficult action fighter.

Key moments

• Won a unanimous decision with 29-28 scores across the board.
• Came through a close, high-paced fight with Vera over fifteen minutes.
• Added another credible UFC name to his early bantamweight run.

Song and Cody Stamann fought to a majority draw in Washington, D.C., after Stamann was deducted a point for an accidental eye poke in the second round. The bout still showed Song could stay composed in a tense, swingy fight even though it did not move his record forward with a full win.

Key moments

• Fought Stamann to a majority draw after three rounds.
• A point deduction against Stamann for an accidental eye poke shaped the final scoring.
• Song stayed in a competitive UFC bantamweight matchup without taking a loss.

Song announced himself with one of the cleanest finishes of his UFC rise, knocking out Alejandro Perez with a right hand just over two minutes into the first round. The stoppage mattered because it turned a prospect win into a statement performance on a major pay-per-view card.

Key moments

• Stopped Perez with a first-round right-hand knockout at 2:04.
• Scored the finish on the UFC 239 card in Las Vegas.
• Used the emphatic result to raise his profile in the bantamweight division.

Song followed his first two UFC finishes by going the full three rounds and earning a unanimous decision over Vince Morales in Beijing. The win mattered because it showed he could carry his pace and cleaner striking over fifteen minutes instead of relying on an early stoppage.

Key moments

• Beat Morales by unanimous decision after three rounds in Beijing.
• Moved to 3-0 in the UFC with his first decision win in the promotion.
• Used the performance to extend the momentum from his two 2018 finishes.

Song produced one of the sharpest finishes of his early UFC run by stopping Felipe Arantes with a brutal elbow at the very end of round two in Singapore. The result reinforced that his boxing-led pressure could still produce highlight finishes when opponents tried to survive late in rounds.

Key moments

• Finished Arantes with an elbow at 4:59 of the second round.
• Closed the fight in the final second of the frame in Singapore.
• Backed up his successful debut with another emphatic UFC stoppage.

Song made the right first impression in his UFC debut by hurting Bharat Khandare on the feet and then jumping on a guillotine choke for the first-round submission in Shanghai. The win was an immediate statement because it came on short notice and showed he was more than a young striker with fast hands.

Key moments

• Won his UFC debut by first-round guillotine choke at 4:16.
• Dropped Khandare before locking up the submission finish.
• Opened his UFC tenure with a finish in front of the Shanghai crowd.

Song stayed in fast-finisher mode one month before his UFC debut, stopping Makoto Yoshida in barely a minute at WLF W.A.R.S. 18. The result was not about a famous opponent so much as confirming that Song was still blowing through regional assignments right before the promotion step-up.

Key moments

• Sherdog records the official result as a first-round TKO by knees to the body and punches at 1:05.
• Yoshida's own record confirms the loss and shows a small but real documented résumé rather than a phantom opponent entry.
• The short finish kept Song's momentum rolling straight into the UFC signing window at age 19.
• It also reinforced that his offense was not limited to boxing exchanges, since the body-knee sequence was central to the stoppage.

Song handled a full three rounds against Edgars Skrivers, taking a unanimous decision over a veteran who had already compiled a meaningful European record. That mattered because it showed he could bank rounds cleanly against a seasoned opponent instead of relying only on early violence.

Key moments

• Sherdog's event page lists Thomas Fan as the referee and confirms the unanimous decision after three rounds.
• Skrivers came in with a much deeper résumé than many of Song's earlier opponents and kept fighting at a respectable level after this loss.
• The fight gave Song a different kind of win between his two Renat Ondar losses and the later Makoto Yoshida stoppage.
• Against a more experienced opponent, the clearest verified story is that Song stayed composed for the full 15 minutes and won the cards.

Song's title-fight rematch with Renat Ondar stretched to five rounds, but the result was the same: Ondar's experience and steadier work earned another unanimous decision. Even in defeat, going the full championship distance at that stage of Song's development was a meaningful test against a fighter who soon moved on to Fight Nights Global.

Key moments

• Sherdog records the bout as a five-round unanimous decision with Ziyang Zhao officiating.
• Ondar had already beaten Song once in October 2016, so this was a second attempt to solve the same opponent in a higher-stakes setting.
• Ondar followed this period by beating Jinensibieke Asikeerbai and Bato Damdinov before landing on the Fight Nights Global circuit.
• The cleanest verified takeaway is that Song was competitive enough to go 25 minutes, but not enough to change the judges' read from the first meeting.

Song answered the first Renat Ondar loss the right way, submitting Shamil Nasrudinov in the second round at WLF W.A.R.S. 10. The rebound mattered because Nasrudinov was not just a local stay-busy opponent; he kept winning submissions afterward and remained active across Russian shows.

Key moments

• Sherdog's event page records the rear-naked choke at 3:19 of round two with Steve Perceval as the referee.
• Nasrudinov later posted multiple submission wins after this loss, including victories over Vyacheslav Sheyn, Bektursun Kaiypnazar and Yafei Zhao.
• The finish came one month after Song had lost to Ondar for the first time, making it an immediate and useful rebound.
• It also showed once again that Song's early regional record mixed real submission threats into the reputation built mostly on his striking.

Song's first meeting with Renat Ondar ended in a straightforward decision loss, giving the young Chinese prospect one of his clearest pre-UFC lessons against an experienced opponent. The defeat mattered because Ondar was already a serious regional player rather than a one-off spoiler, and the matchup would be run back for five rounds less than three months later.

Key moments

• Sherdog records the bout as a three-round unanimous decision with Greg Kleynjans officiating.
• Ondar had already fought across Russian and Central Asian circuits before this meeting and soon turned the win into a title-shot rematch with Song.
• The result stands out because it was one of the few times Song's pre-UFC offense was held in check for a full 15 minutes.
• Instead of derailing him, the loss immediately fed into his November rebound over Shamil Nasrudinov and then the five-round rematch in January 2017.

Song blew through Vachagan Nikogosyan in just over three minutes, another quick finish during the stretch where WLF was using him as one of its young action prospects. Nikogosyan had a real regional résumé, so the speed of the stoppage carries more weight than a simple squash over an unknown name.

Key moments

• Sherdog's event page confirms the first-round TKO at 3:12 with Steve Perceval as the referee.
• Nikogosyan was an established Armenian circuit fighter rather than a debutant, which made the quick finish more credible.
• The stoppage came two months after Song had been knocked out by Alexey Polpudnikov, making it an important reset.
• It also helped set up the later Ondar fights by reestablishing Song's momentum on the WLF circuit.

Song ran into a much more seasoned opponent in Alexey Polpudnikov and paid for it with a second-round knockout at Kunlun Fight 44. The loss aged reasonably well because Polpudnikov was a battle-tested veteran who kept beating strong opposition across ACB and other major Eurasian promotions afterward.

Key moments

• Sherdog records Dmitrii Sazonov as the referee and the finish at 0:50 of round two.
• Polpudnikov already owned wins in Road FC and Russian pankration circuits before this bout and later added notable victories over Donald Sanchez and Arman Ospanov.
• The result gave Song another early lesson against an opponent with far more professional depth than most of his local assignments.
• Even after the knockout loss, Song answered well by stopping Vachagan Nikogosyan in his very next documented fight.

Song showed a different finishing touch against Artak Nazaryan, ending the fight with a body-shot knockout less than a minute into the second round. The win was useful because Nazaryan was an experienced submission-heavy veteran, which meant Song was not simply icing novices with one clean punch.

Key moments

• Sherdog records the finish as a knockout by punch to the body at 0:59 of round two with Greg Kleynjans officiating.
• Nazaryan entered with a deeper professional résumé and a style built heavily around submissions, making him a more meaningful regional test.
• Nazaryan's later loss to Jiacai Zhang and earlier fight with Zabit Magomedsharipov help place him in a stronger talent pool than a typical local opponent.
• The stoppage also highlighted that Song's finishing game already included body work and not just headhunting combinations.

Song opened 2016 with a full-distance win over Aleksander Zaitsev, a useful contrast to the quick finishes that would define much of his pre-UFC résumé. Against a Russian veteran, the decision showed he could bank rounds and keep structure even when the stoppage never came.

Key moments

• Sherdog lists the official result as a unanimous decision after three rounds on January 13, 2016.
• Zaitsev brought a deeper Eastern European résumé than many of Song's earlier opponents, making the win a more credible international result.
• The fight served as Song's first documented bout of 2016 before the more volatile run that included Nazaryan, Polpudnikov and Ondar.
• The safest verified takeaway is that Song stayed disciplined for the full 15 minutes and clearly won the cards.

Song's loss to Giovanni Moljo came by disqualification rather than a clean finish or decision, making it one of the odder entries on his early record. The important point is not a technical takeaway so much as the fact that Song had already been booked against a legitimate international opponent on an M-1 card before his twentieth birthday.

Key moments

• Sherdog's event page records the result as a second-round disqualification for groin kicks with Lukasz Bosacki as the referee.
• Moljo was a seasoned Australian veteran whose résumé included fights across BRACE, One FC and other regional promotions.
• Because the loss came by foul rather than by being outclassed in open play, it reads differently from Song's later decision defeats to Renat Ondar or Ji Xian.
• It still counted as a meaningful developmental night because Song was already sharing cards with more experienced international talent.

Long before Ok Rae-yoon became a ONE champion at lightweight, Song knocked him out in 81 seconds on the WBK circuit. In hindsight it is one of the strongest names on Song's regional ledger, and the speed of the finish makes it stand out even more.

Key moments

• Sherdog records the knockout at 1:21 of round one with Guangyou Ning officiating.
• Ok later built a major-promotion résumé that included wins over Christian Lee, Marat Gafurov and Eduard Folayang.
• That hindsight turns what might have looked like a routine young-prospect win into one of Song's better pre-UFC credentials.
• The fight also shows that Song was already capable of flattening future elite talent while still in his teens.

Song's first notable major-stage setback came against Ji Xian in a ONE FC main event, where the more experienced man took a unanimous decision over three rounds. The loss mattered because Song entered undefeated and was already being tested above the level of ordinary domestic matchmaking.

Key moments

• Sherdog's pre-fight coverage described the matchup as the main event of ONE FC 24 in Beijing and identified Song as unbeaten going in.
• Ji already owned recognized wins in Legend FC and RUFF before beating Song, so this was a real step-up rather than an opportunistic upset.
• Sherdog's record line confirms the unanimous decision with Yuji Shimada as referee after three rounds.
• Even in defeat, the booking itself showed that Song was being pushed into meaningful spots well before his UFC debut.

Song's majority decision over Zhao Yafei was one of his more useful early distance wins because Zhao stayed active long after the loss and kept fighting internationally. Instead of another quick finish, Song had to prove he could edge a credible opponent over three full rounds.

Key moments

• Sherdog records the result as a majority decision with Herb Dean officiating after three rounds.
• Zhao later fought across WLF, Kunlun Fight and other regional promotions, which gives this win more substance than a one-off local result.
• The fight came on the RUFF Fu card, where Baasankhuu Damnlanpurev also stopped Heili Alateng later the same night.
• Against a durable opponent, the clearest verified takeaway is that Song stayed composed for 15 minutes and found enough rounds to get the nod.

Song added another notable early scalp by submitting Baasankhuu Damnlanpurev in the first round at RUFF 12. The result aged well because Damlanpurev soon beat Heili Alateng and stayed relevant enough to keep getting matched on meaningful regional cards.

Key moments

• Sherdog's event page confirms the rear-naked choke at 3:01 of round one with Herb Dean as referee.
• Damlanpurev's own record confirms the loss and shows he had already beaten Sandro da Silva and later stopped Heili Alateng in 2014.
• The submission stands out because Song's early record is remembered mostly for striking success, yet he kept mixing in opportunistic grappling finishes.
• It was another efficient RUFF performance during the stretch when Song was still years away from his UFC debut.

Song's win over Alateng Heili turned into one of the better hindsight lines on his pre-UFC résumé, because Alateng later built a long career that reached the UFC. At the time it was simply a clean three-round decision over another strong young Chinese prospect on a RUFF card.

Key moments

• Sherdog's RUFF 11 event page records the unanimous decision with Herb Dean officiating.
• Alateng later fought his way to the UFC and remained a recognizable international-level bantamweight for years.
• The result gave Song an early meaningful domestic prospect win rather than just another finish over an obscure name.
• Because the surviving evidence is event-result level, the strongest verified point is that Song clearly won the cards against a future UFC-caliber opponent.

Song went the full distance with Wulalibieke Baheibieke and collected a unanimous decision on the RUFF 10 card, one of the earliest documented wins on his professional ledger. The opponent was active enough to keep appearing on later RUFF cards, which gives the result at least some regional weight even if detailed fight coverage is scarce.

Key moments

• Sherdog records the unanimous decision after three rounds on the RUFF 10 card.
• Baheibieke Wulalibieke reappears on subsequent RUFF event pages, including a submission loss at RUFF 12.
• The fight showed Song could already handle full-distance work in 2013 rather than relying purely on quick finishes.
• With limited surviving play-by-play, the safest claim is simply that Song won the cards clearly over 15 minutes.

One of the first lines on Song's record is also one of the least informative, as his RUFF 9 bout with Zhao Wuheng ended in a no contest after an accidental groin strike. There is no honest deeper read to force here; the key fact is simply that Song was already being booked on RUFF cards in 2013, long before the UFC audience knew his name.

Key moments

• Sherdog lists the official result as a no contest in round one due to an accidental groin kick.
• No exact fight time survives in the available Sherdog record, which limits any more detailed reconstruction.
• The matchup still places Song on the RUFF 9 card as a very young prospect in May 2013.
• Because no competitive conclusion was reached, the fight sits outside any real evaluation of his early win-loss form.