Song Yadong (; born December 2, 1997) is a Chinese

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

who competes in the

Bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class is derived from bantam chickens. B ...

for the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

(UFC). As of December 6, 2022, he is #8 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 begun 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 Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. Song's UFC debut took place on the 25th November, 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. In Song's second UFC fight, he faced Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner and Muay Thai fighter,

Felipe Arantes Felipe Arantes (born 9 February 1988) is a retired Brazilian mixed martial artist, who competed in the bantamweight and featherweight divisions. A professional MMA competitor since 2008, Arantes mostly fought in Brazil before signing with th ...

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 UFC Bonus Awards are three separate cash bonuses usually awarded to four fighters after each UFC event, based on internal decisions by UFC management. More/fewer bonuses have been awarded at some events, especially when no knockouts or submissions ...

bonus which earned him an extra $50,000 Song was expected to face

Frankie Saenz Frankie Ozuna Saenz III (born August 12, 1980) is an American mixed martial artist in the bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional since 2009, he made a name for himself fighting mostly in his native state, where ...

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 Vince Morales (born November 12, 1990) is an American mixed martial artist who competed in the Featherweight division most recently for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional mixed martial artist since 2015, Morales has also com ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Song was scheduled to face Alejandro Pérez on March 2, 2019 at

UFC 235 ''UFC 235: Jones vs. Smith'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on March 2, 2019 at T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area. Background A UFC Light Heavyweigh ...

. However, it was reported on January 11, 2019 that he pulled out due to an undisclosed reason. He was replaced by

Cody Stamann Cody James Stamann (born November 9, 1989) is an American mixed martial artist and currently competing in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Stamann was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan and attended Grand ...

. The bout with Pérez was rescheduled and eventually took place on July 6, 2019 at

UFC 239 ''UFC 239: Jones vs. Santos'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on July 6, 2019 at T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area. Background A UFC Light ...

. Song won the fight via knockout in the first round. This win earned him the

award. Song faced

on December 7, 2019 at

UFC on ESPN 7 ''UFC on ESPN: Overeem vs. Rozenstruik'' (also known as '' UFC on ESPN 7'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 7, 2019 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., United States ...

. After three round fight, the fight ended with a majority draw. Song faced

Marlon Vera Marlon Andres Vera Delgado (born December 2, 1992) is an Ecuadorian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Bantamweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Vera first appeared on '' The Ultimate Fight ...

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 Kyler Phillips (born June 12, 1995) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background At the age of 3, Phillip's father took him to the Gracie Academy out of Torrance, ...

on March 6, 2021 at

UFC 259 ''UFC 259: Błachowicz vs. Adesanya '' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 6, 2021 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United ...

. He lost the bout via unanimous decision. Song faced

Casey Kenney Casey James Kenney (born March 20, 1991) is an American mixed martial artist. He is currently competing in the Bantamweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and he was the former Tachi Palace Fights Flyweight champion and L ...

on August 7, 2021 at

UFC 265 ''UFC 265: Lewis vs. Gane'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on August 7, 2021, at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, United States. Background An interim UFC Heavyweight Championshi ...

. He won the fight via split decision. Song faced

Julio Arce Julio Andres Arce (born October 27, 1989) is an American mixed martial artist (MMA). He was the former Ring of Combat bantamweight and featherweight champion. He also won the Golden Gloves 2011 Championship. Arce currently competes in the Banta ...

on November 13, 2021 at

UFC Fight Night 197 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. He won the fight via technical knockout in round two. Song faced

Marlon Moraes Marlon Luiz Moraes (born April 26, 1988) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight division of the Professional Fighters League (PFL). He previously competed in the bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Champi ...

on March 12, 2022 at

UFC Fight Night 203 ''UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Ankalaev'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 203'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 61'' or ''UFC Vegas 50'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 12, 2022 at the UF ...

. He won the fight via knockout in round one. This win earned him the ''Performance of the Night'' award. Song faced

Cory Sandhagen Cory Sandhagen (born April 20, 1992) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Bantamweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2015, Sandhagen has also compete ...

on September 17, 2022 at

UFC Fight Night 210 ''UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Song'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 210'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 68'' and ''UFC Vegas 60'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 17, 2022, at the ...

. He lost the fight via technical knockout after doctor stopped the fight.

Personal life

Song and his wife have a son.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

(Four times) ** Fight of the Night (One time)

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

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Alateng Heili Alateng Heili (; born December 14, 1991) is a Chinese mixed martial artist of Mongol ethnicity who competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Following his father's footsteps, Alateng started wrestling ...

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Song, Yadong 1997 births Living people Sportspeople from Harbin Sportspeople from Heilongjiang Bantamweight mixed martial artists Chinese male mixed martial artists Chinese practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Chinese sanshou practitioners Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Mixed martial artists utilizing sanshou Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu