The UFC was in Macau, China, over the weekend for a Fight Night card. In the main event, bantamweight contenders threw down as Song Yadong took on Deiveson Figueiredo.
Yadong entered the fight coming off a decision loss to Sean O’Malley after a win over Henry Cejudo. Figueiredo, meanwhile, was coming off a loss to Umar Nurmagomedov after a split decision win over Montel Jackson.
Ultimately, it was Yadong who dominated the fight en route to a second-round submission win over Figueiredo to return to the win column. Following UFC Macau, here is what I think should be next for the bantamweight contenders.
Song Yadong
Song Yadong is a legit bantamweight contender, but after losing to O’Malley, he was looking to prove he’s a legit contender. He ended up scoring a second-round submission win to return to the win column in a big way.
Following the win, Yadong remains in the top-five and is likely a win or two away from a title shot. A logical fight is to face the winner of Cory Sandhagen vs. Mario Bautista, which will take place at UFC 329. The fight could very well serve as a No. 1 contender fight, which will likely take place in the fall, with the winner ready for a title shot in early 2027.
Deiveson Figueiredo
Deiveson Figueiredo was looking to prove he’s still a contender at UFC Macau, but his bid came up short. Figueiredo was outmatched by Yadong and was submitted with a guillotine choke in the second round.
Following the loss, Figueiredo has plenty of questions about his future after back-to-back losses and is 1-4 in his last five. Since moving up to bantamweight, Figueiredo is 4-4 since moving up to 135lbs. If Figueiredo does return, the UFC could look to build a contender off him, which is why a fight against Payton Talbott makes sense. If Talbott wins, it would be a win over a former champ to build his name off of.
What do you think should be next for Song Yadong and Deiveson Figueiredo after UFC Macau?