Both fighters entered the night of single wins; Kenan had gotten the better of Ricky Glenn last time out, while Salikhov had defeated Santiago Ponzinibbio.

Salikhov is now 40 years old and entering his 12th fight in the UFC. The self proclaimed “King of Kung Fu” would have to pick up a win in hostile territory, to defeat Kenan in his native county.

In the opening moments each fighter cautiously measured their opponent, with Salikhov landing a spinning back kick to the body. Kennan landed a blistering straight right hand that made Salikhov retreat to the fence. Once against the cage, Salikhov was kneed in the groin stopping the action momentarily.

Salikhov forced the fight back to the middle, and landed a lead left hook. What happened next was a thing a beauty: the unofficial Olympic Gold medalist in Sanda timed one of the cleanest spinning back kicks in UFC history. With a minute fifteen left in the first, Salikov spun around on one leg and delivered a devastating kick that separated Kenan from consciousness. An unbelievable performance for the Russian welterweight who added to his already impressive highlight reel.

In what was certainly a knockout of the year contender, Salikhov now has many options for what to do next with his career. In a night filled with incredible knockouts and standout performances, Salikhov may have stole the show.

Official Result: Muslim Salikhov def. Song Kenan by KO (spinning wheel kick), Round 1, 3:45

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Both men were looking to get back in the win column, with Kenan coming in off a loss to Kevin Jousset. The Chinese fighter was 1-3 in his last four fights, while Glenn was 0-2-1 in his past three, last competing in October 2023 in a loss to Drew Dober.

The fight began with the two fighters exchanging leg kicks before immediately getting down to business. Glenn was able to clip Song with a left hand and sat him down. Song found his feet a short time later and the two fighters exchanged some dirty boxing in the clinch. Glenn again waded in, led with the left hook and reengaged with the clinch against the fence.

Song attempted to gain the upper hand and tried to get off the fence firing off some short shots in the meantime. But Glenn kept the pressure up against the fence in the clinch. Two minutes into the round and Song was finally able to disengage from the clinch. Both men looked a bit fatigued as they moved back into space. Midway thru the round and Song started to throw his hands more and landed some solid strikes. Glenn tried to clinch up and looked a little frantic, but Song was able to keep distance and clip his opponent.

Ricky desperately looked for a single leg which Kenan defended. Ricky turned it into a body lock and was able to successfully suck Song into the clinch once again. Glenn wasn’t able to land anything meaningful in the position, however. And after disengaging from the clinch, with half a minute left in the round, Kenan landed another stunning punch in the standing exchange to end the round.

To start round two Glenn landed an inside leg kick and narrowly evaded a head kick from his opponent. Song landed a pair of solid body kicks and forced a shot out of Glenn. Song was able to defend the shot and the one that followed and uncorked a huge 1-2 combination against the fence. Some of the cleanest shots of the fight. Glenn started to duck his head obviously reacting from the punches. Ricky was able to survive the storm momentarily and clinched against the fence.

As the two moved back into space Glenn’s face looked a mess. Ricky returned to the clinch again, but this time ate an elbow from Song which caused him to disengage again. A few seconds later, Song uncorked another multi-strike combination that stung his opponent from all angles. With nearly a minute left in the round Kenan defend yet another halfhearted takedown. Song looked like he couldn’t miss any of the punches that he was throwing and kept his hands down while fending off another desperate takedown to end the round.

To start the final round Ricky’s massive hematoma on his forehead was clearly visible. Song went right at Glenn landing a short vicious punch and elbow laced combination and hip tossed his foe. Ricky was able to work back up to his feet ate a knee. The moment Glenn got free he shot for an unsuccessful double leg against the cage. As the two fighters moved back to space Song returned his hands to his sides. Glenn attempted another takedown and ate a well-timed knee to the body on the way in. Song was landing everything in space, sidekicks and single punches as well as combos.

With two minutes left in the round Ricky opened up threw a couple strikes and was again stung by Song. Kenan landed a glancing jumping knee that Glenn shook his head at as he continued to move forward. With a minute left in the fight Song partially landed a head kick as Ricky kept coming forward with looping strikes. With 24 seconds left in the fight Glenn took an eye poke from Song which caused a momentary pause in the action. As the fighters reengaged Glenn struck into the clinch and forced Song to the cage. Song returned with short punches and elbows that blasted Glenn out of the clinch adding an exclamation mark on his performance as the final bell sounded.

Official Result: Song Kenan def. Ricky Glenn by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 20-26, 29-28)

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Juosset opened up the action with a low kick on Saturday, as the pair circled and felt each other out. Kenan would later go to the body with a side kick, with the first two minutes low on action and high on feints and finding range. They finally began to come together more towards the three minute mark, if briefly. Late in the round, the pair traded in a couple of exchanges, Jousset keeping his right hand ready. He initiated a Thai clinch, but could not make much come of it. Kenan fired a couple of punches in answer to a leg kick in the dying seconds of the round. With both men landing a couple, Jousset might have had a slight edge.

Round two saw an exchange of jabs and single shots, with Song Kenan finding a home for his right hand in the opening 90 seconds. The pair opted to go the stand-up route for most of the round, squaring up and trading single strikes. The only takedown attempt came late in the round, but nothing came of it; instead they remained on the feet, trading with Jousset ending the frame with a kick to the body.

Kevin Jousset uncorked calf kicks early in the third, and worked his jab on Kenan, who was showing a fair amount of redness around the face. Jousset found some success with elbows in the clinch, and in the final minute, tied up Kenan along the fence. Kenan couldn’t seem to get his offense going much in round three, with Jousset pursuing a takedown until a final, violent exchange at the end. The bloodied face of Song Kenan told the story, with Jousset claiming the unanimous decision in the end.

France’s Jousset improved to 2-0 in the promotion, with a five-fight win streak overall care of the victory.

Official Result: Kevin Jousset def. Song Kenan by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

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Bedoya had dropped his last outing against Khaos Williams, suffering a split decision loss in his promotional debut. Things were a little more dire for Song, who had lost two straight opposite Max Griffin and Ian Machado Garry.

The fight began with Bedoya landing a few heavy calf kicks to the lead leg of Song Kenan. The Chinese fighter started to put on some forward pressure whilst trying to let his hands go. Bedoya swung for a heavy over-hand right but missed the mark as he over-extended. Song began to try and find the clinch to land some strikes there, but Bedoya reversed the clinch position and got the fight back out at range. From there he looked to land a few more heavy leg kicks whilst in kicking range. As the two got closer in distance they began trading punches with Bedoya looking the better after three minutes. Again the Peruvian landed a few more kicks, whilst also changing the target, now targeting the body with a front teep. The end of round one horn sounded and Song made it back to his corner with a big smirk on his face.

The corner of Song called for him to utilise his jab more often as they believed that would leave an opening for him to unleash an over-hand right. The round began with Song once again looking to close the distance with a flurry of strikes that subsequently ended with the two clinching. The 26-year-old, Bedoya, started to look for the the counter shot but Song landed a big over-hand right, just like his coach called for, momentarily dropping Bedoya. Song began to gain confidence as the fight went on and started to land his strikes more flush. Bedoya ate another one of Song’s right and left hand combo whilst then trying to fire back himself. Bedoya decided he wanted to try and close the distance and clinch fight with Song. He gained clinch control with the double under-hooks and fired off a big knee to the body. Round two proved to be a far more successful round for Song, and he went into the final round knowing that it could be one a piece.

Bedoya had a lot of success in round one keeping Song in kicking range, you’d imagine his goal would be to replicate that in round three. His response in the third was to try and get his combinations going but he found himself being met with the stiff jab of Song. The defence and counter striking of Song began to take control of this fight and he started stealing it in the eyes of the judges. The Peruvian began to try and up his volume of strikes but despite throwing more strikes, Song was the one doing more damage. Again the two engaged in a clinch where Bedoya landed another big knee. After they exited the clinch, Song landed another big right hand dropping Bedoya again. With just 45 seconds left Bedoya tried to put on the pressure but it didn’t pay off, he was unable to land anything of significance and the fight ended with Song coming out on top.

Official Result: Song Kenan def. Rolando Bedoya by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) 

The post UFC Singapore: Song Kenan Edges Close Decision Against Rolando Bedoya appeared first on Cageside Press.

“This fight will be my most valuable fight. I take it really serious. I will do my best,” Kenan told reporters through a translator on Thursday.

Bedoya has yet to win in the UFC, and while he gives his opponent plenty of credit for being a solid fighter, he still sees himself getting his hand raised at UFC Singapore.

“I watched his UFC debut against Khaos Williams. I think he did a great job, and he’s a well-rounded fighter, but I’m still confident that I can get this win,” he said.

Kenan has special insight on the rise of a fellow welterweight. He took a loss to Ian Machado Garry at UFC 285 in March, and ended up training with him a bit as well.

“Yes after this fight we’re training at the same gym, and we sparred as well. I find that he has improved a lot since our last fight so he’s getting better and better,” said Kenan.

Kenan has had a front-row seat to the rise of Chinese MMA. Fighting professionally since 2014 he’s seen plenty of improvement in his country’s MMA talent.

“I feel like this game has become more complete. When I was fighting earlier in my career everyone has very obvious (holes in their game),” he said

“And now (most) fighters (are) well-rounded.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Song Kenan above. He takes on Rolando Bedoya at UFC Singapore on Saturday.

The post Song Kenan Confident In Getting Win Over Bedoya appeared first on Cageside Press.

“Happy to get the win, happy to stay undefeated, 11-0 sounds pretty f*cking good. But not satisfied. I’ve told you this many, many times, I’m searching for perfection. I was an idiot and I got caught with a shot that I shouldn’t have got caught with because I made a little error. That’s ok,” Garry told reporters including Cageside Press at his post-fight scrum.

“And we get better, and we show up in Miami hopefully in five weeks and we show how fast I can learn and evolve.”

The mistake Garry spoke of was one that saw him get hit and dropped during the fight which fans haven’t seen happen to him very much.

“I threw a left hook to the body which is something I never throw. I would always just keep a left straight to the body, but I seen it…hmm maybe try it…and then I got caught. I can promise you now I’m never doing that again,” Garry laughed.

“Look I know I have it in me. I know the heart that I have I know the chin that I have, and he caught me with a beautiful shot. Fair play to him, congratulations, but you’re going to have to do a hell of a lot more to put me out.”

Garry understands his potential in the big picture when it comes to the legacy of some of the best to ever step into the cage.

“If you look at any of the best fighters on the planet like anyone in that GOAT conversation who hasn’t fought through adversity? Who hasn’t had that like Jon Jones nearly had his arm snapped. Anderson Silva seen him unconscious. George Saint Pierre we’ve seen him unconscious, but they come back. Their mindset, their mentality, everything is phenomenal about them and that’s why they’re the greats. That’s what I have to do,” Garry said.

Garry ultimately mentioned he would like to get on the UFC 287 card in Miami, but no opponent was mentioned.

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Ian Garry above.

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Garry fought Song Kenan, who returned to action after a two year layoff since his last fight, a knockout loss. The Chinese prospect looked to bounce back strongly with the skills he learned in the time off, and to spoil the party of a potential future top contender.

The welterweight pair began the fight patiently, feeling each other out with occasional jabs and low kicks. Ian Garry slowly pushed Kenan back to the outside of the octagon. When Garry found the range he started to let go with straight rights, sometimes quickly behind his jab. Song Kenan hardly threw any punches, refusing to open himself up to the sharpshooting of Garry. The calf kicks from Garry had already seemingly hurt the calf of Kenan by the halfway mark of the first round.

Garry still remained patient, to the mild annoyance of a slightly restless crowd. He was slowly overwhelming Song with jabs and low kicks until one minute left in the round; Ian Garry stepped in to throw punches but Song Kenan suddenly hurt him badly with a perfect counter left hook. Garry fell to his back but jumped up as Kenan tried to get on top of him. Song Kenan got the rear body-lock and held Garry there, perhaps letting the Irishman recover. Garry pressed forward for the final seconds of the round but the damage had been done, and one moment may have lose him the round.

Round two started with the same dynamic as round one. Garry just touched Kenan up slowly. Garry began to use front kicks more often as opposed to round one when he only did round kicks. Still, Kenan seemed nonplussed despite slowly being out-struck. At the halfway mark of the round Garry finally opened up, swarming the Chinese fighter with punches and kicks, attacking the body as well. But Kenan survived and got back to the center of the octagon.

Garry pace’s increased just a measure now, perhaps feeling more confident after the knockdown at the end of round one. More and more he strung together combinations instead of just a solitary jab or kick. At times he would level change and land a straight right to the stomach, which was consistently his best shot. The left eye and left calf of Kenan seemed quite beat up by the time the buzzer ended the round.

The fighters hyped the crowd up together as the final round started, waving their hands above their head. The pace began at a much higher pace this round than either of the others, with even Song Kenan doing more, not that that is saying much. Head kicks often followed the jab of Ian Garry, many of which came inches from landing cleanly on the side of Kenan’s head. The attritional work of Garry was excellent, but he was lacking the ability to pierce through the guard with one massive punch to get the hurt foe out of there, despite his best efforts with the occasional flying knee, head kick, or overhand.

Blood poured from the nose of Kenan, his left eye was swollen so badly that it appeared closed, and his calf was tenderinzed. With one minute left Garry suddenly opened up with an intense, high volume combination. A flying knee pushed Kenan to the fence. He ripped to the body then waded forward attacking the head and body with big hooks as Kenan retreated and fell down. It was then a simple matter for Ian Machado Garry to hammerfist his way to a stoppage against a turtled up Song Kenan to improve to 11-0 as a professional MMA fighter.

STILL UNDEFEATED 👊🇮🇪 @IanGarryMMA #UFC285 pic.twitter.com/ta0OjwAH05

— UFC (@ufc) March 5, 2023

Following the fight, “The Future” called for a spot at the upcoming UFC 287 card in Miami. That would be an impressively quick turnaround, should the promotion’s matchmakers acquiesce.

Official Result: Ian Garry def. Song Kenan by TKO (punches), Round 3, 4:22

The post Future Looks Bright: Ian Garry Overcomes Early Adversity at UFC 285, Stops Song Kenan appeared first on Cageside Press.

Kevin Holland

After his one-sided loss to Derek Brunson, Kevin Holland stated that he thinks he probably needs to head back to welterweight. It certainly makes a lot of sense given that he didn’t seem to have the requisite takedown defense to survive with the bigger, stronger fighters at 185lbs. He also weighed in well under the middleweight limit. If he does drop down, the UFC should start with a fun striking match to see where he fits there. Santiago Ponzinibbio is also coming off of a disappointing loss and would surely oblige the loudmouthed Holland in the type of fight he’s looking for. In addition, Ponzinibbio also has the name value that Holland seemed to desire in his post-fight interview.

Kevin Holland’s Next Fight: Santiago Ponzinibbio

Song Kenan

Not only was the KO loss to Max Griffin a difficult one for Song physically, but also for where he stands in the UFC. Song was on a 2-fight win streak and seemed to be putting everything together. This loss now leaves him at just 2-2 and, at 31-years old, with probably a pretty short leash. Takashi Sato is in a similar spot, 2-2 in his last 4 and having fallen flat each time he inched closer to a ranked opponent. Both guys are pretty explosive and bring the action, so it would undoubtedly make for a fun one to watch.

Song Kenan’s Next Fight: Takashi Sato

Cheyanne Buys

Going into her fight with Montserrat Conejo, a lot of people were lauding the physicality of Buys. However, that seemed to fail her as she was taken down with a handful of head and arm throws and showed virtually no ability to make it back to her feet. Still young in her career, she has plenty of time to iron out those portions of her game. While she does, the UFC should match her up with a fighter who doesn’t pose those same threats. Gloria de Paula is coming off a loss where she too could not avoid being controlled on the ground. A fight between the two would give Buys the opportunity to showcase her striking and a bit of her own offensive grappling without too much threat to the weakness she showed Saturday.

Cheyanne Buys’ Next Fight: Gloria de Paula

Gustavo Lopez

This loss drops Lopez to just 1-2 in the UFC. However, those losses come to Adrian Yanez and Merab Dvalishvili (nothing to be too ashamed of there). While he wasn’t able to deal with that level of competition at this time, there is no reason to write the exciting Lopez off yet. Instead, let’s pair him with another fighter who faced too much competition in his early going. Drako Rodriguez was tasked with fighting Rani Yahya in his debut. Allowing both to see someone a little more their own speed here should make for a good litmus test about who should belong in the UFC.

Gustavo Lopez’s Next Fight: Drako Rodriguez

Harry Hunsucker

In all actuality, the right answer here for what’s next for Hunsucker is a debuting fighter. A short notice fight against Tai Tuivasa is hardly what he should have faced in his first go at the UFC. However, the UFC doesn’t have any heavyweights signed that are awaiting an opponent (to my knowledge). So rather than speculate who will get signed next, let’s look at internal options.

In June, a pair of fighters seeking their first UFC win, Josh Parisian and Roque Martinez, will square off. Both guys fit a little better of the type of opponent Hunsucker should be facing at this point. The loser of that fight would be a fine fight for him, or even if one of them were to drop out of the fight and need a fill in.

Harry Hunsucker’s Next Fight: Josh Parisian/Roque Martinez Loser

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With the loss of Gregor Gillespie vs. Brad Riddell from the UFC Vegas 22 card on Saturday, the UFC was forced to scramble for a makeshift co-main event. In the end, they settled on the welterweight affair between Max Griffin and Song Kenan — not a bad choice, given Griffin’s ability to excel under pressure.

Look no further than Max “Pain’s” scraps against Mike Perry and Thiago Alves for evidence thereof. As for Kenan, the Chinese fighter was riding a two-fight win streak, and looking to advance in the deep 170lb weight class.

Griffin came out swinging in the co-main event, hurling hooks at Kenan from the get-go. Kenan fired back, but Griffin charged at him with an aggressive combination then shot for a takedown against the cage. Kenan’s takedown defense held strong and he was able to push Griffin away. Kenan was then hit with an overhand right, but Griffin was no longer in his face with pressure. Kenan hit Griffin with a right hand that backed him up, but Griffin was able to turn the tide and get Kenan on his back foot. One right hand landed, then a big left-right combo as Kenan had nowhere left to backpedal, and Kenan crumbled. One more hammerfist was all that was needed to stop the fight. An impressive first-round knockout for Max Griffin.

After the fight, Griffin called out Geoff Neal.

Max Griffin def. Song Kenan by KO (Right Straight) in Round 1 (2:20)

The post UFC Vegas 22 Results: Max Griffin Overwhelms Song Kenan appeared first on Cageside Press.

The 31-year old from China is fighting in the United States for the first time when he takes on Max Griffin on Saturday night. But as Kenan pointed out during the event’s virtual media day this week, he’s been “training in the United States before, so to fight this time, it’s been kind of similar.”

Asked for a prediction for the fight, the Chinese welterweight suggested that it “could be a submission, or maybe a full three rounds.” But if he does get the win, Song Kenan is hoping to be matched up “with more competitive fighters.”

While there will be no fans Saturday, next month, the UFC will head to Florida, for the first full capacity event since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic last year. Later in the year they are expected to head to Asia, and that’s something that appeals to Kenan. He would be “totally more excited if it’s in China and it’s crowded,” he said of the prospect of fighting at home. “They’re all fans that support you.”

As for the fight with Griffin, Kenan feels that his opponent “is also a very good fighter,” and feels that the pairing is “a very good match-up, and it will be a very good performance this weekend.”

Watch the full UFC Vegas 22 virtual media day scrum with Song Kenan above.

The post UFC Vegas 22: Song Kenan Would Be “Totally More Excited” to Fight in China with Fans appeared first on Cageside Press.