As China's first male athlete to reach the UFC World Top 10, "Kung Fu Kid" Song Yadong will face former UFC Men's Bantamweight Champion Peter Yan at UFC 299 in 10 days' time. If he can win this battle, Song Yadong will basically lock in the right to challenge for the next championship. On February 29, Song Yadong said in an interview with a number of ** people, including Beijing Youth Daily, that in the process of preparing for the war, he will continue to set improvement goals for himself, and he cannot underestimate the opponent because he has not played for a long time, and he is confident that he will win.
After entering the octagon, Song Yadong continues to refresh the highest ranking of UFC Chinese men's players. Especially in March 2022, Song Yadong knocked out former bantamweight title challenger Marlon Moraes in just 126 seconds in the first round. In this battle, Song Yadong became the first Chinese male player to enter the top ten in the UFC world. Last year, Song made two appearances and led two main events, both of which resulted in impressive victories that left a lasting impression on the crowd and fans. So far, he has not only set the seventh-ranked highest ranking of a Chinese men's player, but also become the player with the most Chinese players leading the UFC main event with a record of 3 main events.
In UFC 299 on March 10, Song Yadong will face former UFC bantamweight champion Peter Yan, and the battle of words between the two adds to the highlights. Yan currently has a 16-5 professional record and defeated former featherweight champion Aldo by TKO in 2020 to claim the bantamweight title, which was vacant at the time. After losing to Raheem Sterling in the belt, Yan defeated Sandhagen by unanimous decision in 2021 to claim the bantamweight interim title belt, but lost the title unification bout. He is currently ranked fifth in the bantamweight division.
Song Yadong emphasized that in the process of preparing for the war, he will continue to set improvement goals for himself, and he will not underestimate the enemy, and he is confident of victory. "A lot of people think that Peter Yan hasn't been in good shape for a long time without a fight, but as a champion player, it's very easy to adjust and the most important thing is how he adjusts and improves his skills during this time. In fact, for an FC player, sometimes a long adjustment is not a bad thing. He said.
Talking about this upcoming focus battle, Song Yadong revealed that his plan for the game is not to fight hard, but to win smartly. "I've played so many fights and although the ultimate goal is to win the game, try to avoid injuries and win smartly. Now the main thing is to keep your body healthy and then go to weight loss. We mainly have some details, including striking, boxing, we will make some subtle adjustments, but not too much, the most important thing is to maintain our competitive form. Both of us are striking, and we're more aggressive. Strikers like to go forward and use their punches, but I don't think this fight is really that stressful for me, and although I really value this fight, I still need to be as traumatic as possible and win smartly. Song Yadong said.
Text: Beijing Youth Daily reporter Zhou Xueshuai.
Edited by Wang Fan.