A place in the top 15 awaits Song Yadong who crushed Julio Arce in their bantamweight bout at UFC Vegas 42. After a slow start the Chinese fighter found his range in the second stanza with devastating consequences.
Yadong had said coming into this contest that Arce was a dangerous opponent but he quickly seized the centre of the octagon. The American southpaw seemed content to fight off the back foot and was able to evade his opponent’s right hands without offering any offensive output of his own.
Yadong started to score with kicks, landing to his opponent’s midsection and legs. He was looking to land the straight right-left hook combination but Arce was wise to it.
Another highlight for the reel, my GOODNESS!!! 🎥@SongYadongMMA backing up the hype!
[ #UFCVegas42 | Main Card is LIVE on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/kNmDInPCuN
— UFC (@ufc) November 13, 2021
No hesitation
Arce stood his ground at the start of the second and looked much more willing to engage. Both men remained in the pocket but the punches kept falling short until a head kick from Yadong wobbled the American.
From there he showed no hesitation, swarming all over the stunned Arce with punches. The end came at the 1:35 mark with Yadong underlining that he is one of the top Chinese fighters on the roster.
His compatriots might not have been winning too many UFC fights of late but Yadong has now tasted victory eight times inside the octagon. His record moves up to 18-5-1 while Arce drops to 17-5.
Make that SEVEN KO victories for @SongYadongMMA 😤
[ #UFCVegas42 | Main Card is LIVE on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/GRKrx6CCE6
— UFC (@ufc) November 13, 2021
Best of the rest
Da Un Jung (15-2-1) remains undefeated in the UFC. The Korean middleweight finished Kennedy Nzechukwu (9-2) with a flurry of first round elbows to make it 14 wins in a row.
In the main event Max Holloway (23-6) beat Yair Rodriguez (13-3) by unanimous decision. The latter is best known for knocking out Chan Sung Jung in the final second of a fight.
UFC Vegas 42, Las Vegas, November 13th
Max Holloway def. Yair Rodriguez by Decision (Unanimous)
Marcos Rogerio de Lima def. Ben Rothwell by TKO (Punches) at 0:32 of round 1
Felicia Spencer def. Leah Letson by TKO (Punches) at 4:25 of round 3
Khaos Williams def. Miguel Baeza by TKO (Punches) at 1:02 of round 3
Song Yadong def. Julia Arce by TKO (Head kick and punches) at 1:35 of round 2
Joel Álvarez def. Thiago Moisés by TKO (Punches and elbows)at 3:01 of round 1
Andrea Lee def. Cynthia Calvillo by TKO (Corner stoppage) at 5:00 of round 2
Sean Woodson def. Collin Anglin by TKO (Punches) at 4:30 of round 1
Cortney Casey def. Liana Jojua by Decision (Unanimous)
Rafael Alves def. Marc Diakiese by Submission (Guillotine choke) at 1:48 of round 1
Da Un Jung def. Kennedy Nzechukwu by KO (Elbows) at 3:04 of round 1
