It might not have come the way Song Yadong envisioned, but he scored a lopsided win over Chris Gutierrez nonetheless.
Song showed versatility to his overall game as he defeated Gutierrez by unanimous decision in the UFC Fight Night 233 bantamweight headliner. After 25 minutes, the judges awarded Song the victory with scores of 50-44, 50-45, 50-45 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
It was the second consecutive victory for Song, who called out former 135-pound champion Petr Yan in his post-fight interview with Paul Felder.
“I’m coming to get the belt,” Song said. “Next one, Petr, sign the contract. Tomorrow I’m going back to train. I know you want to fight in March. OK, let’s go in March.”
After his win over Chris Gutierrez tonight, @SongYadongLFG wants to see Petr Yan next 👀 #UFCVegas83 pic.twitter.com/INeDsP9n04
— UFC (@ufc) December 10, 2023
Immediately after Song’s win, Yan posted a yawn emoji on X, presumably as an assessment of Song’s performance. Song had a response to that.
“Your last fight, too, bro,” Song said, referencing Yan’s most recent loss to Merab Dvalishvili in March. “Looked like sh*t. Some time I will knock you out. Your boxing is good? OK, let’s go. Let’s try it.”
🥱
— Petr “No Mercy” Yan (@PetrYanUFC) December 10, 2023
Song (21-7-1 MMA, 10-2-1 UFC) entered the fight with Gutierrez (20-5-2 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) looking to display his striking, but he was forced to make adjustments as things unfolded. After a leg-kick heavy Round 1 from both Song and Gutierrez, it was Round 2 where the fight changed. Gutierrez was doing a good job of managing distance, but after an eye poke from Gutierrez halted the action, Song came back and scored a nice takedown when the fight resumed.
After holding Gutierrez down for the remainder of the round, Song found more success on the feet before closing out the round with another takedown. The biggest moment of the fight came early in Round 4 when Song dropped Gutierrez with an overhand right. He then proceeded to fight him heavy on the mat with ground and pound. Round 5 saw more of the same as Song left no doubt who was the winner.
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 233 results include:
- Song Yadong def. Chris Gutierrez via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-44, 50-45)
- Khalil Rountree def. Anthony Smith via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 0:56
- Nasrat Haqparast def. Jamie Mullarkey via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:44
- Tim Elliott def. Su Mudaerji via technical submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 1, 4:02
- Andre Muniz def. Junyong Park via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Kevin Jousset def. Song Kenan via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- HyunSung Park def. Shannon Ross via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3:59
- Steve Garcia def. Melquizael Costa via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 1:01
- Luana Santos def. Stephanie Egger via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Tatsuro Taira def. Carlos Hernandez via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 0:55
- Talita Alencar def. Rayanne Amanda via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 233.
