Song Yadong was looking to shut the lights off Deiveson Figueiredo, but he’ll take the guillotine choke victory.
Yadong and Figueiredo shared the Octagon this past Saturday in the UFC Macau main event. Yadong earned the submission finish in the second round. It’s a nice rebound for “The Kung Fu Kid,” who was entering the fight coming off a unanimous decision loss to Sean O’Malley.
Yadong spoke to UFC News after the fight and he admitted that his initial goal was to deliver a knockout against Figueiredo, but he certainly won’t be complaining about what transpired inside Galaxy Macau (via MMAJunkie).
“My plan was to stay calm and find the timing to knock him out, to use my right hand,” Yadong said. “But also, I did a lot of grappling in the camp. How about this Song? I don’t know jiu-jitsu? Who doesn’t know jiu-jitsu? I just don’t want to show it. I would like to knock people out, use my boxing. So if you want grappling, let’s grapple. It doesn’t matter.”
This was Yadong’s fourth victory by submission. It’s the second time he has won via guillotine choke.
Yadong also said he has solidified his No. 5 spot on the official UFC bantamweight rankings. He hopes to remain active to continue gaining experience in his journey to a potential world title opportunity.
With the victory over Figueiredo, Yadong has now gone 4-2 in his last six outings. “The Kung Fu Kid’s” recent losses have come against top names in the 135-pound division, including current champion Petr Yan. The wins have come against the likes of Henry Cejudo, Chris Gutiérrez, Ricky Simon, and now Figueiredo.
Who would you book Song Yadong to face next? Does he get a chance to avenge one of his losses, or would you give him a fresh matchup? Drop a comment below.