A week later, Merab Dvalishvili collected his eighth consecutive victory at UFC 278, grinding out a decision win over Brazilian legend Jose Aldo.įREE FIGHTS: Sandhagen vs Alcantara | Song vs Moraes In mid-August, Vera pushed his winning streak to four with a knockout win over Dominick Cruz in their main event clash in San Diego. Saturday’s headlining assignment is a huge opportunity for Song and comes at a time when the division is very much in the spotlight. “This fight, I worked hard every day, and I think this fight will also show that hard work pays off.” ![]() “The last three wins make me feel more confident and shows that my hard work is paying off,” said the Chinese standout, who trains at Team Alpha MMA in Sacramento. Since then, the ascending bantamweight has collected three straight victories, following a split decision win over Casey Kenney with a second-round stoppage against Julio Arce and a first-round knockout win over former title contender Marlon Moraes. I watched my fights, and I noticed that I have a lot of space to improve and that I needed to be smart.” “After that fight I felt I needed more focus on my training, more focus on my career. “(That fight) changed me a lot,” he said of the loss to Phillips. The lone official loss, however, came at UFC 259 in a fight against Kyler Phillips, where the Arizona-based prospect and former Ultimate Fighter contestant raced out to a quick start and held on down the stretch to secure a unanimous decision win. Many believe the fight should have been scored in favor of the American veteran, and several held the same feelings about his subsequent bout - a unanimous decision win over contender Marlon “Chito” Vera, which took place at featherweight just a couple weeks after the UFC returned from its brief pause due to the pandemic in Spring 2020.įight By Fight Preview | UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs Song While Song’s upside was apparent from that initial outing, it hasn’t been clear sailing into the Top 10.Ī few years back, he fought Cody Stamann to a draw in a fight where he was docked a point in the opening round after landing an illegal knee. “The next goal keeps coming, and I keep going I’m not finished yet.” ![]() Now my dream is to be champion, so I feel normal, not like I’m living my dream,” he said when asked about making his childhood dream come true. “Before the UFC, my dream was to fight in the UFC. I think it has been very important for me now, and has helped me get into the Top 10 at a young age.”īut that mindset hasn’t shifted now that he’s competing on the biggest stage in the sport the only thing that has changed is the goal. “I did everything - kickboxing, boxing, BJJ, Muay Thai I went to Thailand and had some amateur Muay Thai fights - and everything has made me more experienced, growing fast. “I fought almost four times a year, so it makes me have a lot of experience,” Song said of those early years of his career. 10 in the deepest, most talent-rich division in the sport, facing a former interim title challenger in the main event of a stacked fight card - all before turning 25 would have been tough to predict, if you didn’t know about that “why not me?” mindset. You could see the elite upside in that first outing, but getting to this point - stationed at No. MORE UFC FIGHT NIGHT: Cory Sandhagen Is Ready For A ‘Real Run’ At The Title | Javid Basharat Is Taking The Leap ![]() He was 19 years old and sported a 12-5 record (with one no contest), but confidently marched into the UFC cage and secured a first-round submission win over Bharat Khandare, earning a Performance of the Night bonus in the process. He’d fight three more times the following year, and then twice in 2015 before making six starts in 2016 and three more appearances in 2017 before getting a short notice call to compete in the Octagon. Two fights later, he defeated current UFC bantamweight Alatengheili, closing out his first year as a professional with a 2-0 record, all before celebrating his 16th birthday. Song made his professional debut in May 2013, with the bout ending in a no contest due to an accidental groin strike. The early mindset of “Why not me?” helps explain how the now 24-year-old fighter has reached this point at such a young age, and how he’s been able to take everything that has transpired over the course of his career in stride thus far.
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