Song Yadong is setting his sights on the very top of the bantamweight division after getting back in the win column at UFC Macau.
The Chinese standout thrilled his home country crowd in Saturday’s main event at Galaxy Arena, catching Deiveson Figueiredo with a guillotine choke that forced the two-time flyweight champion to tap out in the second round. Song has had mixed results against the best of the best at 135 pounds, and he wants to run it back as soon as possible against one of the fighters who previously defeated him, UFC champion Petr Yan.
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“I’d like to fight a rematch with Petr Yan,” Song said in a Paramount+ post-fight interview.
Song and Yan first fought at UFC 299 in March 2024. At the time, Song was surging with a 5-1 run that had him on the cusp of a title shot, while Yan was mired in a three-fight losing streak. However, Yan earned a decision win over Song to kick off a run of four straight wins culminating in him regaining the UFC bantamweight championship with a revenge win over Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 323 in December.
Yan underwent back surgery at the start of 2026 and it’s unclear when he will book his next fight and if his first defense of his second title reign will be against Dvalishvili in a trilogy bout. For now, Song is hoping to stay in the mix.
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The 28-year-old also spoke to UFC News, breaking down his game plan against the grappling-minded Figueiredo.
“My plan is stay calm and find the timing to knock him out, use my right hand,” Song said. “But also I did a lot of grappling in camp.”
Practice paid off for Song as he became just the second fighter to submit Figueiredo in 34 pro bouts. With the win, Song is bristling with confidence, though he admits he still has a long way to go to reach his full potential.
“I just proved myself again,” Song said. “I’m top 5, I’m the best in the world. … I want to stay active. Fighting, also practice, I need to fight more and gain more experience.”
