By:  | August 28, 2023 12:41 am

Kenan Song was probably fighting for his UFC future in Singapore last Saturday. The Chinese welterweight was coming off back to back losses heading into his bout with Rolando Bedoya.

He emerged from UFC Singapore with a decision win and Song was surprised his opponent was able to survive the full three rounds,

“He definitely has a strong chin. I landed clean and I could have finished him.”

Kenan actually made a slow start. But he finished strong and dropped Bedoya in the closing stages of the fight to ensure that all three judges scored the last two rounds in his favour.

 

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Self sacrifice

The first round was the only one Bedoya won but despite finishing so strongly Kenan was concerned about his lack of cardio,

“I felt relaxed and confident but my cardio could have been better.”

Kenan prepared for this fight at Kill Cliff in Florida. It is a camp that has proved very popular with Asian fighters and the likes of Aung La Nsang, Martin Nguyen and Jingliang Li have all used it as a base.

Kenan points out that he had to make some sacrifices in order to spend such a long time away from home and having his hand raised felt like a form of vindication,

“When the judges announced the decision, I thought that I should have won so I was happy. The sacrifices I made in the six months I spent in the US was worth it.”

Patient approach

Kenan is 33 and a veteran of 27 fights. But he is prepared to take a patient approach and is confident he will be able to retain his spot on the UFC roster for years to come.

The Chinese welterweight’s confidence was bolstered by the win over Bedoya. But he doesn’t sound like a man in a hurry and is as willing to wait as long as it takes to crack the top 15,

“It (winning) gives me confidence. In the upcoming three to four years I want to keep improving and break into the top 15.”