Chinese bantamweight Song Yadong kicked off the UFC Vegas 42 main card on Saturday, looking to build on a win over Casey Kenney when he took on Julio Arce.
Arce had been trading wins and losses over his past few fights, and entered the night off a win over Andre Ewell. One man would move forward, one would move back in a fight that started off deceptively slow.
Yadong fired his right hand early on Saturday, with Arce circling, deliberately, on the outside. Arce worked from a southpaw stance, Yadong worked orthodox. After a bit of a slow start, Arce got going, firing a kick and walking down Yadong. Arce would flash a 1-2, both men would mix it up and go to the body, but for the most part, the opening round saw the pair trading single strikes in a bit of a chess match.
Round two saw Yadong go to the body with a kick; Arce would fire off a leg kick moments later. The attacks came a little quicker, but extended combinations and takedowns were missing. Turns out, they weren’t really necessary. Yadong rocked Arce with a head kick that, albeit blocked, seemed to wobble Arce. A punch followed, and Arce was retreating. Song Yadong moved in with a number of right hands, and in quick succession several followed to put Arce away.
Another highlight for the reel, my GOODNESS!!! 🎥@SongYadongMMA backing up the hype!
[ #UFCVegas42 | Main Card is LIVE on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/kNmDInPCuN
— UFC (@ufc) November 13, 2021
With the finish, Team Alpha Male’s Song Yadong has won two straight, and improves to 7-1-1 overall in the UFC.
Official Result: Song Yadong def. Julio Arce by TKO, Round 1, 1:35
