Song Yadong STEAMROLLS Ricky Simon, Calls out Sean O’Malley

Timothy James

April 29, 2023

Song Yadong defeats Ricky Simon via TKO in 5th round of UFC Vegas 72 main event.

In this modern era of the UFC, whenever there’s a grappler vs. a striker, you put your money on the grappler.

Not this time.

Song Yadong put on a masterclass against Ricky Simon, dropping his opponent with a crushing left hook before finishing the fight with ground-and-pound.

Song Yadong makes statement with TKO victory over Ricky Simon

With his performance at UFC Vegas 72, Song Yadong proved he belongs with the best of the best in the UFC’s most stacked division. After a close first round, Yadong took control of the fight – landing the harder shots throughout the bout.

Song landed a crushing left hook at the end of the fourth round – but Simon was “saved by the bell.” However, he was still on wobbly legs coming out for the fifth, and it didn’t take long for Yadong to get the job done. He landed the same left hook he had been landing all night – only this time, he was able to put a stamp on the fight.

Song Yadong was ranked 8th in the UFC’s bantamweight division coming into this fight, and it’s safe to expect him to get another shot at the top 5 after this performance. During his Octagon interview, Song called out some big names – Sean O’Malley and Chito Vera.

Yadong and Vera fought back at UFC on ESPN: Overeem vs. Harris back in May, 2020. It was a controversial unanimous decision for the Chinese fighter, with many fans believing that Chito won. However, it appears Song is willing to run it back with Chito to settle the score. Vera is currently ranked 5th in the division, coming off a loss to 3rd ranked Cory Sandhagen.

Meanwhile, Sean O’Malley is ranked 2nd behind top contender Merab Dvalishvili – who refuses to fight his friend Aljamain Sterling for the championship. Things could change briefly, as Aljamain Sterling vs. Henry Cejudo goes down next Saturday.

For what it’s worth, the champion Aljamain Sterling was impressed with Song’s performance.

Whatever fights shake out after this, it’s safe to say – bantamweight is the most stacked division in the UFC. Simon was ranked 10th coming into the bout, with a logjam in the top 5 between Dvalishvili, O’Malley, Sandhagen, Yan, and Vera.

Just to show how stacked the division truly is – Umar Nurmagomedov, also known as “bantamweight Khabib,” is waiting in the wings at number 11.