# Song Yadong

Song Yadong (Chinese: 宋亚东; pinyin: Sòng Yàdōng; born December 2, 1997) is a Chinese professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of February 25, 2025, he is #6 in the UFC bantamweight rankings.

## Background

Raised by a single mother, Song was sent to a Sanda martial arts school at the age of nine. Song eventually began training mixed martial arts at the age of 13, making his professional debut before his sixteenth birthday.

## Mixed martial arts career
### Ultimate Fighting Championship

In November 2017, it was announced that Song Yadong would step in on short notice, to fight the first ever Indian-born fighter in the UFC and fellow debutante, Baharat Kandare at UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Gastelum in Shanghai, China. Song's UFC debut took place on November 25, 2017. Song landed fast counter punches, combinations and some heavy leg kicks, but at the end of the fourth minute, Song landed a right hand that knocked Khandare down, causing Khandare to reach for Song's legs to try and get a takedown; however, it was not a good attempt and Song was easily able to secure a front choke, giving Song his first UFC win and his third win by submission. This fight earned him his first Performance of the Night award.
In Song's second UFC fight, he faced Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner and Muay Thai fighter, Felipe Arantes on June 23, 2018, at UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Edwards in Singapore. After a strong first round, with Song landing quick counter punches and securing top control after catching an Arantes' kick, the second round saw much of the same, except Arantes shot for a double-leg which ultimately resulted in Song easily shucking it off with Arantes, again, landing on his back with Song attempting an arm-triangle choke. However, with exactly a minute left in the second round, Arantes was able to force a stand up and returned to his feet. With 10 seconds remaining in the round, Arantes was being pushed against the fence and what was looking like another round being won by Song; Song landed a hard elbow, which forced Arantes to crumple onto his knees that forced the referee to jump in and end the fight, declaring Song the victor by way of technical knockout at 4:59 of the second round. With this win, Song received the Performance of the Night bonus which earned him an extra $50,000.
Song was expected to face Frankie Saenz on 24 November 2018 at UFC Fight Night 141. However, it was reported on November 7, 2018 that he pulled out of the event due to injury and he was replaced by newcomer Vince Morales. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Song was scheduled to face Alejandro Pérez on March 2, 2019 at UFC 235. However, it was reported on January 11, 2019 that he pulled out due to an undisclosed reason. He was replaced by Cody Stamann. The bout with Pérez was rescheduled and eventually took place on July 6, 2019 at UFC 239. Song won the fight via knockout in the first round. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.
Song faced Cody Stamann on December 7, 2019, at UFC on ESPN 7. After three round fight, the fight ended with a majority draw.
Song faced Marlon Vera in a featherweight bout on May 16, 2020, at UFC on ESPN: Overeem vs. Harris. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Both participants earned the Fight of the Night award.
Song faced Kyler Phillips on March 6, 2021, at UFC 259. He lost the bout via unanimous decision.
Song faced Casey Kenney on August 7, 2021, at UFC 265. He won the fight via split decision.
Song faced Julio Arce on November 13, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 197. He won the fight via technical knockout in round two.
Song faced Marlon Moraes on March 12, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 203. He won the fight via knockout in round one. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.
Song faced Cory Sandhagen on September 17, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 210. He lost the fight via technical knockout after a doctor stopped the fight.
Song was scheduled to face Ricky Simón on April 22, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 222. However, the bout was instead postponed to UFC on ESPN: Song vs. Simón as the headliner. He eventually won the fight via technical knockout in the fifth round. This win earned him his the Performance of the Night bonus award.
Song was scheduled to headline UFC Fight Night 233 against Petr Yan on December 9, 2023. However, Yan withdrew from the bout citing an injury and was replaced by Chris Gutiérrez. Song won the fight via unanimous decision.
Song faced former UFC Bantamweight champion Petr Yan on March 9, 2024, at UFC 299. He lost the bout by unanimous decision.
Song was reportedly scheduled to face Umar Nurmagomedov in the main event on December 14, 2024 at UFC on ESPN 63. However, the bout was scrapped due to Yadong's injury.
Song faced former UFC Flyweight and Bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo in the main event on February 22, 2025, at UFC Fight Night 252. As a result of an eyepoke by Song rendering Cejudo unable to continue, Song won the fight by technical decision after the bout was stopped at the beginning of the fourth round.

## Personal life

Song and his wife Daisy have a son.

## Championships and accomplishments
### Mixed martial arts

* Ultimate Fighting Championship
** Performance of the Night (Five times) vs. Bharat Khandare, Felipe Arantes, Alejandro Pérez, Marlon Moraes, and Ricky Simón
** Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Marlon Vera

### Sanda

* 2011 Hebei Provincial Sanda Championship − 1st place, 60 kg

### Muay Thai

* 2011 National Muay Thai Championship − 5th place

### Grappling

* 2012 Shanghai Jiu-Jitsu Open − 4th place

## Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown :
| 32 matches | 22 wins | 8 losses |
| By knockout | 9 | 2 |
| By submission | 3 | 0 |
| By decision | 10 | 5 |
| By disqualification | 0 | 1 |
| Draws | 1 | 1 |
| No contests | 1 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
| Win | 22–8–1 (1) | Henry Cejudo | Technical Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs. Song | February 22, 2025 | 3 | 5:00 | Seattle, Washington, United States | An eye injury due to an accidental eye poke rendered Cejudo unable to continue. |
| Loss | 21–8–1 (1) | Petr Yan | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 299 | March 9, 2024 | 3 | 5:00 | Miami, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 21–7–1 (1) | Chris Gutiérrez | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Song vs. Gutiérrez | December 9, 2023 | 5 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 20–7–1 (1) | Ricky Simón | TKO (punches) | UFC on ESPN: Song vs. Simón | April 29, 2023 | 5 | 1:10 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Performance of the Night. |
| Loss | 19–7–1 (1) | Cory Sandhagen | TKO (doctor stoppage) | UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Song | September 17, 2022 | 4 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 19–6–1 (1) | Marlon Moraes | KO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Ankalaev | March 12, 2022 | 1 | 2:06 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 18–6–1 (1) | Julio Arce | TKO (head kick and punches) | UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Rodríguez | November 13, 2021 | 2 | 1:35 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 17–6–1 (1) | Casey Kenney | Decision (split) | UFC 265 | August 7, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Houston, Texas, United States | |
| Loss | 16–6–1 (1) | Kyler Phillips | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 259 | March 6, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 16–5–1 (1) | Marlon Vera | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Overeem vs. Harris | May 16, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Jacksonville, Florida, United States | Featherweight bout. Fight of the Night. |
| Draw | 15–5–1 (1) | Cody Stamann | Draw (majority) | UFC on ESPN: Overeem vs. Rozenstruik | December 7, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Washington, D.C., United States | Song was deducted a point in round 1 due to an illegal knee |
| Win | 15–5 (1) | Alejandro Pérez | KO (punch) | UFC 239 | July 6, 2019 | 1 | 2:04 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 14–5 (1) | Vince Morales | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Ngannou 2 | November 24, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Beijing, China | |
| Win | 13–5 (1) | Felipe Arantes | KO (elbow) | UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Edwards | June 23, 2018 | 2 | 4:59 | Kallang, Singapore | Return to Bantamweight. Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 12–5 (1) | Bharat Khandare | Submission (guillotine choke) | UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Gastelum | November 25, 2017 | 1 | 4:16 | Shanghai, China | Featherweight bout. Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 11–5 (1) | Makoto Yoshida | TKO (knees to the body and punches) | WLF W.A.R.S. 18 | October 27, 2017 | 1 | 1:05 | Maerkang, China | Lightweight debut. |
| Win | 10–5 (1) | Edgars Skrivers | Decision (unanimous) | Kunlun Fight MMA 10 | April 6, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Beijing, China | |
| Loss | 9–5 (1) | Renat Ondar | Decision (unanimous) | WLF World Championship | January 8, 2017 | 5 | 5:00 | Zhengzhou, China | |
| Win | 9–4 (1) | Shamil Nasrudinov | Submission (rear-naked choke) | WLF W.A.R.S. 10 | November 26, 2016 | 2 | 3:19 | Zhengzhou, China | |
| Loss | 8–4 (1) | Renat Ondar | Decision (unanimous) | WLF E.P.I.C. 9 | October 24, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Zhengzhou, China | |
| Win | 8–3 (1) | Vachagan Nikogosyan | TKO (punches) | WLF E.P.I.C. 6 | July 23, 2016 | 1 | 3:12 | Zhengzhou, China | |
| Loss | 7–3 (1) | Alexey Polpudnikov | KO (punch) | Kunlun Fight 44 | May 14, 2016 | 2 | 0:50 | Khabarovsk, Russia | Return to Featherweight. |
| Win | 7–2 (1) | Artak Nazaryan | KO (punch to the body) | WLF E.P.I.C. 2 | March 13, 2016 | 2 | 0:59 | Henan, China | |
| Win | 6–2 (1) | Aleksander Zaitsev | Decision (unanimous) | WLF E.P.I.C. 1 | January 13, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Zhengzhou, China | Return to Bantamweight. |
| Loss | 5–2 (1) | Giovanni Moljo | DQ (groin kicks) | Road to M-1: China | July 25, 2015 | 2 | 5:00 | Chengdu, China | |
| Win | 5–1 (1) | Ok Rae-yoon | KO (punch) | WBK 3 | April 5, 2015 | 1 | 1:21 | Ningbo, China | Featherweight debut. |
| Loss | 4–1 (1) | Ji Xian | Decision (unanimous) | ONE FC: Dynasty of Champions 1 | December 19, 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Beijing, China | |
| Win | 4–0 (1) | Zhao Yafei | Decision (majority) | RUFF 13 | June 7, 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Shanghai, China | |
| Win | 3–0 (1) | Baasankhuu Damlanpurev | Submission (rear-naked choke) | RUFF 12 | March 29, 2014 | 1 | 3:01 | Shanghai, China | |
| Win | 2–0 (1) | Alateng Heili | Decision (unanimous) | RUFF 11 | November 30, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Shanghai, China | |
| Win | 1–0 (1) | Wulalibieke Baheibieke | Decision (unanimous) | RUFF 10 | September 24, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Shanghai, China | |
| NC | 0–0 (1) | Zhao Wuheng | NC (accidental groin strike) | RUFF 9 | May 18, 2013 | 1 | N/A | Sanya, China | Bantamweight debut. Accidental groin strike rendered Zhao unable to continue. |