Tomorrow night in the main event of UFC Seattle, we are going to see a big time matchup in the bantamweight division featuring two top ten contenders. Former two-division champion Henry Cejudo (16-4) will look to prove that he still has plenty of fight left in the tank as he takes on Song Yadong (21-8-1).
Starting with Song, this is a golden opportunity for him to get back on track and get the biggest win of his career. Song took a two-fight win streak into a fight with Petr Yan last March and came up short against the former champion. He’s 5-2 in his last seven fights with the two losses being to Yan and Cory Sandhagen. He has the chance to get back in the win column tomorrow while defeating a former two-division champion.
Henry Cejudo retired in 2020 after defending his bantamweight title against Dominick Cruz. Cejudo had won and defended a belt in two weight classes on top of being an Olympic Gold Medalist and he walked away on top. However, he got the itch to come back and that’s what he did at UFC 288 against Aljamain Sterling in 2023.
Cejudo lost a very close split decision in that bantamweight title fight. He then came back in February of last year and lost a decision to the current champion Merab Dvalishvili. While he’s lost two in a row, both fights were against world champions. He’s looking to show Song tomorrow that he’s still levels above the young contender.
UFC Seattle Prediction
A lot of this fight is going to come down to cardio and takedown defense. On the feet, I think Song has a pretty big advantage. He’s much bigger and longer than Cejudo. I think the explosion, speed, and power of his shots are going to play a big factor in keeping Cejudo tentative on the feet.
Cejudo’s big advantage is in the wrestling. However, will he be able to take Song down and keep him down? If he’s able to do that, will his cardio hold up for five rounds? Right now, there are so many questions for Cejudo. Cejudo is the ultimate competitor, but father time is undefeated and I’m wondering if Cejudo’s time is just running out.
So, who wins at UFC Seattle? I think Song is going to pick up the biggest win of his career. I think his advantage on the feet is really going to play in this fight and I also think that his cardio will allow him to defend enough takedowns to get the win. I don’t think we see a finish, but I think Song gets his hand raised.
Prediction: Song Yadong by Decision