Song Yadong defeats Ricky Simon in the main event of UFC Vegas 72 by finishing him in the fourth round.
On August 7, 2021, the UFC Apex in Las Vegas hosted UFC Vegas 72 featuring top 10 ranked bantamweights, Song Yadong and Ricky Simon, in the main event. Song, ranked No. 8, was coming off a defeat to Cory Sandhagen, while Simon, ranked No. 10, had a five-fight winning streak.
The first round started with a feeling out process, and Simon attempted to take the fight to the ground, countered by Song’s leg kick. The two exchanged combinations, and Simon clinched with Song, but the latter shook him off without any harm. The round continued to be highly competitive and ended without much separation between the fighters.
During the break, Song’s corner requested more volume from him, while Simon’s corner asked him to get Song to the fence more. The strategy did not prove effective, as the second round began with Song landing leg kicks, followed by a wobbly clash of heads that seemed to affect Simon. Simon did enter takedown attempts and landed one; however, Song quickly got back to his feet and moved away, not holding back on punches. In the waning seconds, Simon landed a takedown, but Song came back strong, securing him the round.
Entering the third round, Simon was aware that he needed to finish the match to win. Simon managed to land a right hand, but Song put on the pressure and eventually landed a left hand to force Simon to retreat. Commentators Cormier and Cruz predicted a 3-0 lead for Song at the end of the round. Simon’s corner advised him to work on takedowns more in the fourth round, but none of his attempts proved successful. The round ended with Song knocking down Simon with one second left.
As the fifth and final round started, Song connected with a right hand that hurt Simon. A left hook finally dropped Simon, followed by ground-and-pound from Song until the referee intervened, stopping the fight. The official time of the stoppage was 1:10 of the final round.
With this win, Song rebounds from his recent loss and brings an end to Simon’s impressive winning streak. The five-round battle showed Song’s resurgence and reminded fight fans of his potential in the bantamweight division.