Song Yadong won a dominant five-round performance against Chris Gutierrez in the UFC Vegas 83 main event, with the final scorecards reading 50-44, 50-45 and 50-45.
Song Yadong didn’t quite get the ending he’d hoped for. Regardless, he still managed to deliver a commanding five-round performance, beating Chris Gutierrez in the UFC Vegas 83 main event.
For the most part of the initial 15 minutes, Song outstruck Gutierrez. Then, he shifted his focus to his wrestling and grappling game. He showcased impressive control and a ground-and-pound attack that helped him secure his win. The scorecards read 50-44, 50-45, and 50-45, with Song getting the judges’ approval.
After the match, Song expressed his disappointment. The fight was moved from his native China back to the UFC APEX in Las Vegas. But hey, he was still thrilled to bag the win.
“I really wanted to fight in China, that’s my home,” Song confessed. “In the top 15, no one takes the fight but I’m coming to get the belt.”
Facing one of the most devastating finishers at bantamweight, Gutierrez showed agility. He kept moving away from Song’s power on his feet. The initial exchanges saw both fighters hammering away with some heavy leg kicks. But neither Gutierrez nor Song really gained an upper hand in those exchanges.
Gutierrez was able to maintain distance from Song. He danced on the outside while landing straight punches in Song’s face. This led to Song diving for a takedown late in the second round. Though, he couldn’t do much damage with Gutierrez playing an effective guard game off his back.
Back on their feet, Song was still throwing with a lot of power. But Gutierrez’s movement was preventing him from setting up any real combinations. It wasn’t until Song got Gutierrez backed up against the cage where he could unleash a barrage of shots in rapid-fire succession.
Song was winning rounds, but he wasn’t able to really hurt Gutierrez. That changed in the fourth round. The Team Alpha Male fighter finally connected with a stiff punch that did some damage. Gutierrez was briefly stunned. Song threw a barrage of punches before settling back down on the canvas where he began working his ground and pound offense.
Song continued to show his dominance on the ground. He clearly had an advantage over Gutierrez, who was simply stuck underneath him with little chance to escape. It wasn’t the most punishing performance, but Song remained in control. He peppered away at the head and body while slipping in some crushing elbows whenever he found enough room to work.
Time ticked away to the final horn. Song secured the victory while improving his record to 5-1 over his past six fights. His only loss came to perennial bantamweight contender Cory Sandhagen.
Following the win, Song immediately turned his attention to former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan. Yan had tweeted a yawn emoji after watching the main event on Saturday.
“Next one, Petr – I know you want to fight in March, OK let’s go in March,” Song shouted. “Your last fight [was boring], too, bro. It looked like s***. Your boxing is good, OK let’s go. I’m coming.”