After an off weekend, the UFC returned, as the MMA juggernaut headed to Macao, China, for UFC Fight Night Song vs Figueredo. The card started at 4 a.m. EST, with the main card starting at 7 a.m. EST. The main card featured some of the top talent in the Bantamweight and Heavyweight divisions.
Song Yadong owns the day, securing one of the best performances of his career with his second-round submission against Deiveson Figueiredo via guillotine.
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MORE: UFC Macao results, Song Yadong makes strong statement with over former champ
UFC Macao notable results
In the Heavyweight division, Sergei Pavlovich secured another first-round finish, knocking out Tallison Teixeira 39 seconds into the first round. Pavlovich is now on a three-fight win streak and is looking more like the guy who ran through the division before running into Tom Aspinall.
The next biggest Bantamweight fight on the card featured Kai Asakura finally finding that first UFC win and doing so in brutal fashion. Asakura got back to his Rizin roots, scoring a violent knockout of Cameron Smotherman.
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UFC Fight Nights always lay the groundwork for the biggest fights possible, and that’s no different today, coming off some impressive performances. Here are three fights to make after UFC Macao.
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Fights to make next
Song Yadong vs Cory Sandhagen-Mario Bautista winner
Starting with the main event, the winner, Song Yadong, beating a seasoned former champion in Deiveson Figueiredo, is a huge win, and keeps Yadong as a viable contender at 135.
After UFC Macao, Song Yadong will likely keep his spot in the rankings at No. 5. A fight with the winner of Cory Sandhagen vs Mario Bautista makes perfect sense for Song. Neither Sandhagen nor Bautista should earn a title shot after a win over the other. Either would likely need one more fight before ensuring a shot at the belt, which is exactly where Song is in the division as well.
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Song also has a history with Cory Sandhagen, losing to Sandhagen in a Fight Night main event via a doctor’s stoppage TKO. The first matchup was a lot of fun; there’s no reason it shouldn’t be again if they share the cage once more.
Sergei Pavlovich vs Josh Hokit
In the Heavyweight division, it’s hard to find a matchup for Sergei Pavlovich where he doesn’t fight down again, being that he probably won’t get booked with Alexander Volkov again.
The perfect next opponent for Pavlovich is Josh Hokit, who’s fighting at the UFC White House card in just over two weeks. Hokit has to take care of Derrick Lewis first, but the brash American with multiple personas would have a field day talking trash to the Russian Sergei Pavlovich, ideally on the main card of a PPV to close out the year.
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Kai Asakura vs Raul Rosas Jr
Kai Asakura finally looked like the fighter fans were expecting when he was given a Flyweight title shot in his first UFC fight ever. Now, after a stellar debut at Bantamweight, a low-ranked opponent could be in play.
Raul Rosas Jr is a perfect dance partner for Asakura. Rosas is a somewhat well-known name in the division and doesn’t have any claim to fight way higher in the division right now after beating an aging Rob Font.
This gives Asakura an opportunity to get back into the UFC rankings, this time at Bantamweight, and Rosas an opportunity to build up his name and win streak even further, and solidify that he’s ready to fight up in the division.
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