Song Yadong Delivers China's Sole Victory at UFC Macau

Song Yadong's second UFC submission came at the most opportune moment. In the main event of UFC Macau, Song secured a submission victory over Deiveson Figueiredo. This marked his first fight on home soil in China since 2018. After a slow start, Song trapped Figueiredo in a guillotine choke late in the second round, forcing the two-time flyweight champion to tap out.

Prior to the bout, Song was considered a significant favorite, with expectations that his size, youth, and striking prowess would prove too much for the 38-year-old Figueiredo. However, the first round saw minimal exchanges, with Figueiredo landing the only significant strike and finishing the round in a dominant position after Song slipped attempting a kick.

The underwhelming first five minutes made the second-round finish even more surprising. Song appeared to be winning the round on the feet before having to defend a late takedown attempt from Figueiredo. The Chinese fighter quickly turned the tables, however, grabbing the Brazilian's neck and securing the submission victory at 4:42 of the second round.

This was Song's first submission win since his UFC debut in 2017, where he also won via guillotine choke against Bharat Khandare.

Following the fight, Song thanked Team Alpha Male head coach Urijah Faber and his entire team for improving his grappling skills. When asked who he wanted to fight next, he was crystal clear in his response.

Song (23-8-1, 1 NC) entered UFC Macau ranked No. 7 in the bantamweight division according to mmafighting.com's global rankings. While a win over a declining Figueiredo is unlikely to significantly alter his standing, it keeps him in the mix at the top after his loss to Sean O'Malley at UFC 324. The 28-year-old now boasts victories over former UFC champions like Figueiredo and Henry Cejudo, as well as former WSOF champion Marlon Moraes.

As for Figueiredo (25-7-1), he now has four losses in his last five fights at 61 kg after a promising start in the division.