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	<title>UFC Fight Night 252 Archives - Cageside Press</title>
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		<title>UFC Seattle&#8217;s Nursulton Ruziboev Came Into Fight Week Stressed Due to Brother&#8217;s Bad Weight Cut</title>
		<link>https://cagesidepress.com/2025/02/25/nursulton-ruziboev-ufc-seattle-weight/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Gabriel Gonzalez&nbsp;and&nbsp;Jay Anderson]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 25 Feb 2025 21:30:09 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[MMA News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UFC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Video]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nursulton Ruziboev]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UFC Fight Night 252]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://cagesidepress.com/?p=203586</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Seattle, WA — Uzbekistan&#8217;s Nursulton Ruziboev earned himself a second-round TKO finish of Eric McConico at UFC Seattle, improving his overall record in the promotion to 3-1. Ruziboev (35-9-2, 2NC) came into fight week on a bit of a down note, after watching his own brother struggle with a weight cut one week prior. &#8220;I&#8217;m [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2025/02/25/nursulton-ruziboev-ufc-seattle-weight/" data-wpel-link="internal">UFC Seattle&#8217;s Nursulton Ruziboev Came Into Fight Week Stressed Due to Brother&#8217;s Bad Weight Cut</a> appeared first on <a href="https://cagesidepress.com" data-wpel-link="internal">Cageside Press</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Seattle, WA — Uzbekistan&#8217;s Nursulton Ruziboev earned himself a second-round TKO finish of Eric McConico at UFC Seattle, improving his overall record in the promotion to 3-1.</p>
<p class="style-scope ytd-watch-metadata">Ruziboev (35-9-2, 2NC) came into fight week on a bit of a down note, after watching his own brother struggle with a weight cut one week prior.</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m so happy with this performance. A week ago, my brother&#8217;s fight got cancelled because he couldn&#8217;t make weight. We were stressed a little bit, and this win also has already fixed that straight,&#8221; stated Ruziboev, speaking to media outlets including Cageside Press. &#8220;Everything is fixed now, we&#8217;re happy.&#8221;</p>
<p>To be clear, it wasn&#8217;t just about his brother&#8217;s fight being waved off. &#8220;My brother, he&#8217;s my real brother and he couldn&#8217;t make his weight,&#8221; explained Ruziboev, noting how drained his brother looked. &#8220;When I saw him, he was so bad to my eyes, that&#8217;s why this was a little bit stressed, not the fight [being] cancelled.&#8221;</p>
<p>With the win over McConico, a <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2024/10/21/fantasy-booking-dana-whites-contender-series-season-9/" data-wpel-link="internal">DWCS</a> grad, Nursulton Ruziboev is hoping to get back to action soon. &#8220;I didn&#8217;t get any injuries from this fight. We&#8217;re going to go home, we&#8217;re going to celebrate this fight with my coaches, and then after that we&#8217;ll see. Pretty soon we&#8217;ll be back to the cage.&#8221;</p>
<p>The question, however, is in what weight class. Thus far, Ruziboev has competed in both the welterweight and middleweight divisions. The UFC Seattle bout was at middleweight, and Ruziboev admits that the weight cut there is obviously easier. However, he&#8217;s open to opportunities in both divisions.</p>
<p>&#8220;My manager told me we will have a chance in future for welterweight. Right now, I have fights at 185, but in future if they offer me 170, 185, we will get any of them,&#8221; he told Cageside Press.</p>
<p><em>Watch the full UFC Seattle post-fight media appearance by Nursulton Ruziboev above.</em></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2025/02/25/nursulton-ruziboev-ufc-seattle-weight/" data-wpel-link="internal">UFC Seattle&#8217;s Nursulton Ruziboev Came Into Fight Week Stressed Due to Brother&#8217;s Bad Weight Cut</a> appeared first on <a href="https://cagesidepress.com" data-wpel-link="internal">Cageside Press</a>.</p>
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		<title>Ricky Simon: Self-Belief Key to UFC Seattle Victory</title>
		<link>https://cagesidepress.com/2025/02/25/ufc-seattle-ricky-simon-self-belief/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Gabriel Gonzalez&nbsp;and&nbsp;Jay Anderson]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 25 Feb 2025 19:50:27 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[MMA News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UFC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Video]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ricky Simon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UFC Fight Night 252]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://cagesidepress.com/?p=203578</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Seattle, WA — Bantamweight Ricky Simon pulled out of a three-fight tail spin with a knockout of Javid Basharat at UFC Seattle, and pocketed a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus on top. It couldn&#8217;t have gone much better for Simon (21-6), who lives in Washington state and fights out of nearby Vancouver, WA. &#8220;I [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2025/02/25/ufc-seattle-ricky-simon-self-belief/" data-wpel-link="internal">Ricky Simon: Self-Belief Key to UFC Seattle Victory</a> appeared first on <a href="https://cagesidepress.com" data-wpel-link="internal">Cageside Press</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Seattle, WA — Bantamweight Ricky Simon pulled out of a three-fight tail spin with a knockout of Javid Basharat at UFC Seattle, and pocketed a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus on top.</p>
<p>It couldn&#8217;t have gone much better for Simon (21-6), who lives in Washington state and fights out of nearby Vancouver, WA.</p>
<p>&#8220;I thought I was going to have to wrestle a little bit more for sure, but I kept telling myself, &#8216;what&#8217;s the best case scenario? A first round knockout in my home state.&#8217; And yeah, couldn&#8217;t have dreamt of a better moment honestly,&#8221; Simon told media outlets including Cageside Press following the fight. &#8220;It was a dream come true.&#8221;</p>
<p>Simon is no stranger to difficult match-ups, and over the years has been paired up with the likes of Urijah Faber, Raphael Assuncao, Ray Borg, and Song Yadong. Basharat, a top prospect in the 135lb division, was another solid test.</p>
<p>&#8220;I think the bantamweight division is just so packed, it&#8217;s just stacked right now. So I mean, there&#8217;s tough dude after tough dude,&#8221; noted Simon, who became the first man to finish Basharat. &#8220;This isn&#8217;t the first person I&#8217;ve handed their first loss like this. But I definitely think it&#8217;s a strong way to bounce back. I hope the UFC gives me another match-up soon. That&#8217;s the number one thing, is just stay consistent, not have long layoffs.&#8221;</p>
<p>Key to Saturday&#8217;s win, added Ricky Simon, was self-belief.</p>
<p>&#8220;I kept saying, &#8216;maybe the CTE has caught up with me, and I&#8217;m just dumb,&#8217; because I&#8217;m still so confident. I&#8217;m losing, but I know I&#8217;m not a loser. I&#8217;m a winner, and I&#8217;ve been winning in this sport for over a decade. I just knew I had to trust in myself. I have a full team around me that has so much belief in me, but there&#8217;s nothing like self-belief, and I knew that&#8217;s what it was going to take.&#8221;</p>
<p><em>Watch the full UFC Seattle post-fight press conference with Ricky Simon above.</em></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2025/02/25/ufc-seattle-ricky-simon-self-belief/" data-wpel-link="internal">Ricky Simon: Self-Belief Key to UFC Seattle Victory</a> appeared first on <a href="https://cagesidepress.com" data-wpel-link="internal">Cageside Press</a>.</p>
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		<title>What&#8217;s Next: UFC Seattle Winners</title>
		<link>https://cagesidepress.com/2025/02/24/whats-next-ufc-seattle-winners/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Mathis Desjardins]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 25 Feb 2025 02:47:46 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UFC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Alonzo Menifield]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Anthony Hernandez]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jean Silva]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rob Font]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Song Yadong]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UFC Fight Night 252]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://cagesidepress.com/?p=203536</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>The UFC’s fourth ever trip to the grunge capital (and first since 2013) had something for everyone. The UFC Seattle card started off with five consecutive knockouts followed by two slick submissions. It gave us highlight reel finishes from Ricky Simón and Jean Silva, an entertaining feature bout and capped off the night with main [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2025/02/24/whats-next-ufc-seattle-winners/" data-wpel-link="internal">What&#8217;s Next: UFC Seattle Winners</a> appeared first on <a href="https://cagesidepress.com" data-wpel-link="internal">Cageside Press</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The UFC’s fourth ever trip to the grunge capital (and first since 2013) had something for everyone. The UFC Seattle card started off with five consecutive knockouts followed by two slick submissions. It gave us highlight reel finishes from Ricky Simón and Jean Silva, an entertaining feature bout and capped off the night with main and co-main events that had real stakes attached to them. It’s time, now, to do some matchmaking for a card that had a bit of everything, including some controversy.</p>
<h2>Song Yadong</h2>
<p>Even though the way it ended was controversial, Song did have time to show us he was ahead of Henry Cejudo through three rounds in Saturday&#8217;s UFC Seattle main event. I personally have little interest in running this fight back as I believe there are more compelling matchups out there for both Song and Cejudo.</p>
<p>I would love to see Umar Nurmagomedov fight Sean O’Malley, with the winner earning their rematch with Merab Dvalishvili, but it appears as though the promotion will just book the O’Malley rematch right away. That means Nurmagomedov will need a different fight. Could it be Petr Yan? Maybe, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t find a Song Yadong matchup to be intriguing.</p>
<p>Song has been given opportunities to take that next step in the past with fights against Yan and Cory Sandhagen. I could see people wanting to see Song win at least one more fight before getting that type of opportunity again, especially given the unsatisfying nature of the main event’s ending. For that reason, I wouldn’t be opposed to a Marlon Vera rematch or a fight with Mario Bautista. In the end, I do prefer the Umar fight.</p>
<p><em>Song’s next fight: Umar Nurmagomedov</em></p>
<h2>Anthony Hernandez</h2>
<p>While it was revealed that Hernandez was compromised coming into this rematch with Brendan Allen, he still got the job done by unanimous decision. This marks Fluffy’s seventh straight win, tying Caio Borralho for the second longest win streak at middleweight behind only the division’s reigning champion.</p>
<p>With Borralho and <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2025/02/01/nassourdine-imavov-knocks-adesanya-out-calls-for-title/" data-wpel-link="internal">Nassourdine Imavov</a> on impressive runs, and after Gregory Rodrigues failed to insert himself in that mix last week, let’s see if Hernandez can get himself into that title picture to make 185 even more exciting. I believe Hernandez has earned the opportunity to fight a top5 contender. With both Sean Strickland and Robert Whittaker coming off losses, I would look to them. Additionally, with talks of a Fight Night card in Australia sometime in the summer, wouldn’t Whittaker vs Hernandez be a perfect headliner?</p>
<p><em>Hernandez’s next fight: Robert Whittaker</em></p>
<h2>Rob Font</h2>
<p>Every time I believe Font’s fall off is finally upon us, he finds a way to turn back the clock and get a big win. After back-to-back damaging losses to Jose Aldo and ‘Chito’ Vera, he took a year off and came back by knocking out the then streaking Adrian Yanez in three minutes. That performance was then followed by convincing losses to Cory Sandhagen and Deiveson Figueiredo, but once again, he bounced back with a win against youngster Kyler Phillips. And now after taking Jean Matsumoto’s 0 at UFC Seattle, he finds himself on his first win streak since 2021.</p>
<p>Font was originally meant to be Dominick Cruz’s retirement fight, but agreed to fight the young, unranked, undefeated Matsumoto. This represented a big favour for the promotion as this card was starting to fall apart. It is not unusual for the UFC to repay fighters for doing them a solid.</p>
<p>Taking that into account, I believe the way to repay Font is with a fight with the man who lost in the main event: Henry Cejudo. At 37, Font is coming off back-to-back fights against fighters ranked below him that were 8 and 12 years his juniors. Cejudo is 38 himself, has a relatively big name and is ranked slightly ahead of Font. It’s a booking that would be both rankings and age appropriate.</p>
<p><em>Font’s next fight: Henry Cejudo</em></p>
<h2>Jean Silva</h2>
<p>Silva was in the running for ‘Rookie of the Year’ in 2024 after going 3-0 with three knockouts. But the moment he really made a splash was when he fought on back-to-back events. He went up a weight class to knockout Drew Dober at lightweight on short notice after having just KO’d Charles Jourdain two weeks prior.</p>
<p>It was a well-earned seven-month layoff for ‘Lord’. At UFC Seattle he made quick work of Melsik Baghdsaryan, who is a dangerous striker in his own right. On a card that saw eight finishes, Silva’s finish was unquestionably going to land him a ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus. Surely, ranked opposition is next for him. He called out <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2025/02/02/bryce-mitchell-issues-first-statement-since-hitler-comments-apologizes/" data-wpel-link="internal">Bryce Mitchell</a> and Mitchell entertained the idea on social media afterwards. However, I haven’t forgotten that Doo Ho Choi called out Mitchell first after his stellar performance against Nate Landwehr in December. I had Choi fighting Mitchell in my matchmaking article after UFC 310.</p>
<p>In the flood of announcements we got from Dana White last week, Dan Ige vs Sean Woodson was revealed to be on the UFC 314 card in Miami. Silva can face the winner of that fight. If it’s Ige, then Silva gets to measure himself up against the division’s litmus test; a test that the Movsar Evloevs, Diego Lopes’s, and Lerone Murphys of the world passed. If it’s Woodson, then get to see what should be an undeniably funny visual as a 6’2” featherweight squares off against a 5’7” man of the weight class.</p>
<p><em>Silva’s next fight: Ige/Woodson winner</em></p>
<h2>Alonzo Menifield</h2>
<p>While Menifield got his hand raised and that is always the most important thing, it wasn’t exactly the most inspiring of performances, even though it was somehow awarded ‘Fight of the Night’ honours following UFC Seattle. I don’t think a split decision against a debuting fighter should give Menifield the right to fight up the rankings. Especially not considering he got KO’d in his two fights prior.</p>
<p>They could simply re-book the Oumar Sy fight that was supposed to happen at UFC London in March. However, I would actually prefer if Sy had to prove himself against unranked opposition one more time as I believe he’s still a bit green. Right before Menifield walked out to the octagon, Ion Cutelaba earned his second straight victory by submitting rising prospect Ibo Aslan. Both Menifield and Cutelaba bring the action in every fight they are in and have both been in the<a href="http://ufc.com" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer"> UFC</a> for quite some time. It’s one of those fights where you’re surprised to learn it’s never been booked.</p>
<p><em>Menifield’s next fight: Ion Cutelaba</em></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2025/02/24/whats-next-ufc-seattle-winners/" data-wpel-link="internal">What&#8217;s Next: UFC Seattle Winners</a> appeared first on <a href="https://cagesidepress.com" data-wpel-link="internal">Cageside Press</a>.</p>
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		<title>What&#8217;s Next: UFC Seattle Losers</title>
		<link>https://cagesidepress.com/2025/02/24/whats-next-ufc-seattle-losers/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Bryson Hester]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 25 Feb 2025 02:32:32 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UFC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Brendan Allen]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Henry Cejudo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jean Matsumoto]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Julius Walker]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Melsik Baghdasaryan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UFC Fight Night 252]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://cagesidepress.com/?p=203507</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>UFC Seattle brought fight fans plenty of MMA action! Three of the five fights on the main card went to pretty close decisions. Contrastingly, on the undercard, all seven bouts ended with a finish. All in all a fantastic card. Unfortunately, the main event was extremely anticlimactic as the most accredited man in combat sports, [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2025/02/24/whats-next-ufc-seattle-losers/" data-wpel-link="internal">What&#8217;s Next: UFC Seattle Losers</a> appeared first on <a href="https://cagesidepress.com" data-wpel-link="internal">Cageside Press</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>UFC Seattle brought fight fans plenty of MMA action! Three of the five fights on the main card went to pretty close decisions. Contrastingly, on the undercard, all seven bouts ended with a finish.</p>
<p>All in all a fantastic card. Unfortunately, the main event was extremely anticlimactic as the most accredited man in combat sports, Henry Cejudo, made his return to the sport at 38 years old just to suffer a technical decision defeat thanks to an eye poke from Song Yadong. In the co-main event, it was a rematch over seven years in the making as Anthony Hernandez grinded out Brendan Allen in an extremely entertaining grappling affair. Some high-ranking fighters and upcoming prospects, especially for a fight night card, on this edition of Losers.</p>
<h2>Henry Cejudo</h2>
<p>Henry Cejudo lost a technical decision to<a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2025/02/23/song-yadong-takes-technical-decision-after-bad-eye-poke/" data-wpel-link="internal"> Song Yadong</a> in the main event of UFC Seattle after he could not continue due to a double eye poke. Despite taking the entire five minutes of allotted injury time, Cejudo informed the ref and doctor that he could not see out of one eye triggering the end of the fight. It was a disappointing outcome for Cejudo as he has now lost three fights in a row beginning with losing his belt to Aljamain Sterling in May of 2023.</p>
<p>Cejudo entered the bout ranked at #7 in the UFC&#8217;s bantamweight division while his opponent was ranked at #8. While one wouldn&#8217;t say that running this one back would be the only thing that makes sense in this situation, it certainly makes the most sense. Especially hearing Song&#8217;s immediate reaction to the outcome of the fight in his post-fight octagon interview. If Song&#8217;s down for the immediate rematch, this would still be the fight to make, as the scrap was competitive up until the fouls were committed. Dana White doesn&#8217;t like it, but he&#8217;s changed his mind before.</p>
<p><em>Cejudo&#8217;s next fight: Song Yadong rematch </em></p>
<h2>Brendan Allen</h2>
<p>Brendan Allen lost a back-and-forth unanimous decision to <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2025/02/22/fluffys-revenge-anthony-hernandez-beats-brendan-allen-at-ufc-seattle/" data-wpel-link="internal">Anthony Hernadez</a> in a fight that saw the southern-bred fighter gain the upper hand in virtually every striking exchange. It was Allen&#8217;s second loss in a row after dropping a unanimous decision to Nassourdine Imavov in last September. Before that, Allen was riding high on a seven-fight win streak that featured five finishes. He was eyeing a title shot. Not anymore.</p>
<p>Allen entered the fight ranked at #9 in the UFC&#8217;s middleweight division while &#8220;Fluffy&#8221; was ranked at #12. These two first met back in January of 2018 at LFA 32 for the middleweight championship. That bout actually went eerily similar to this (except it was five rounds) as Hernandez wore down Allen on the ground, winning a decision.</p>
<p>Brendan should take on Roman Kopylov in his next fight. Kopylov is ranked at #14 and riding a two fight win streak including Allen&#8217;s most recent victory, Chris Curtis. Roman&#8217;s most recent loss was also opposite of &#8220;Fluffy&#8221; as well. Though Kopylov lost by submission in the second round instead of going the distance. This would be an interesting one as Allen&#8217;s striking looked good Saturday while Kopylov is known for his dynamic striking.</p>
<p><em>Allen&#8217;s next fight: Roman Kopylov </em></p>
<h2>Jean Matsumoto</h2>
<p>Jean Matsumoto suffered his first defeat in professional MMA career Saturday, when <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2025/02/22/ufc-seattle-rob-font-wins-razor-thin-split-decision-over-jean-matsumoto/" data-wpel-link="internal">Rob Font</a> stunned the youngster stealing a split decision nod. Matsumoto, a 2023 Contender Series alum had scored two victories with the <a href="http://ufc.com" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">UFC</a> since joining the promotion a couple years ago. Matsumoto submitted Dan Argueta in his promotional debut before snagging a unaimous decision over Brad Katona last October.</p>
<p>Undoubtedly, this wasn&#8217;t the outcome Jean was hoping to have for a big fight at UFC Seattle. But the 25-year-old had an excellent showing on short notice (stepping up for an injured and now retired, Dominick Cruz) against the #9 ranked bantamweight, having more than a few moments in the fight. But the veteran turned it up in the final round out damaging Jean to steal the fight. A huge favor done for the promotion and a banger fight.</p>
<p>Matsumoto, who entered the fight unranked, is worthy of another shot of earning a ranking next to his name, especially if someone in #10-15 range is available and the timing makes sense. A fight against a guy like Jonathan Martinez could make sense. Martinez has lost his last two fights- both against ranked opposition in Jose Aldo and Marcus McGhee. Before that, he was on a six-fight winning streak featuring two finishes.  Jonathan is dangerous, established in the promotion at 10-5, and has a little bit of a name. So, the winner of this bout could easily be looking at a matchup against someone in the rankings.</p>
<p><em>Matsumoto&#8217;s next fight: Jonathan Martinez</em></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Melsik Baghdasaryan</h2>
<p>Melsik Baghdasryan was dropped and finished by <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2025/02/22/ufc-seattle-jean-silva-cracks-melsik-baghdasaryan-in-latest-stoppage-win/" data-wpel-link="internal">Jean Silva</a> in the first round of their bout on the main card of UFC Seattle. The finish was brutal and Melsik had been out of action since July of 2023, tearing his labrum and having three fights cancelled in that time period.</p>
<p>Baghdasaryan, a 2020 season Contender Series alum, is now 3-2 with the UFC. But those two losses have come in his past three fights. Melsik is an accredited striker with pro kickboxing and boxing experience despite his rather green, 8-3 pro MMA record. A good matchup for Melsik would be another fighter who lost on Saturday, Andre Fili. <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2025/02/22/ufc-seattle-melquizael-costa-guillotine-ends-andre-filis-night/" data-wpel-link="internal">Andre was submitted in the first round of his first against Melquizael Costa</a>, and has lost three of his last five. Fili is a UFC featherweight staple with a 12-11, 1 NC with the UFC in his 12+ years tenure with the promotion. Andre&#8217;s victories in that time were a first-round finish against Lucas Almeida and most recently a split decision fight of the night against Cub Swanson last June.</p>
<p>Fili is always game for a scrap and more than competent standing. Couldn&#8217;t see any way that a fight between these two would not be a back-and-forth affair that has equal chances of going the distance or come to a sudden and brutal stoppage. Winner would be right in the middle of the featherweight traffic moving upwards with two or three wins away from getting a ranked fight.</p>
<p><em>Baghdasaryan&#8217;s next fight: Andre Fili </em></p>
<h2>Julius Walker</h2>
<p>Julius Walker dropped a split decision to #15 ranked light heavyweight, <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2025/02/22/first-fight-to-go-distance-at-ufc-seattle-sees-alonzo-menifield-edge-julius-walker/" data-wpel-link="internal">Alonzo Menifield,</a> to kick off the UFC Seattle main card on Saturday. It was Walker&#8217;s debut in the UFC as the former Synergy and Peak Fighting light heavyweight champion competed on the regional scene as recently as December.</p>
<p>The 25-year-old light heavyweight is still extremely early on in his career at 6-1. Walker&#8217;s barnburner with Menifield earned him fight of the night honors. Fans should keep tabs on this fighter as 205lbs continues to struggle to find new, young, and exciting talent.</p>
<p>Walker should take on another fighter who lost last night, Ibo Aslan. <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2025/02/22/ufc-seattle-always-powerful-ion-cutelaba-goes-submission-route-taps-ibo-aslan/" data-wpel-link="internal">Ibo lost to UFC vet Ion Cutelaba</a> by first round submission. Aslan is 2-1 with the UFC since coming off the Contender Series in 2023. Back then, he was an 11-1 fighter that had faced just three opponents with winning records. Aslan has more than proven himself since then, stopping his first two opponents including an undefeated 11-0, Raffael Cerqueira. Aslan also had his first fight with the organization win fight of the night honors. A fight like that has the potential to be a nail bitter for fans.</p>
<p><em>Walker&#8217;s next fight: Ibo Aslan </em></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2025/02/24/whats-next-ufc-seattle-losers/" data-wpel-link="internal">What&#8217;s Next: UFC Seattle Losers</a> appeared first on <a href="https://cagesidepress.com" data-wpel-link="internal">Cageside Press</a>.</p>
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		<title>UFC Seattle&#8217;s Ion Cutelaba Wants Rountree Rematch: &#8220;He Needs to Show That He&#8217;s Better&#8221;</title>
		<link>https://cagesidepress.com/2025/02/23/ion-cutelaba-ufc-seattle-post-fight-rountree/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Gabriel Gonzalez&nbsp;and&nbsp;Jay Anderson]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 24 Feb 2025 04:15:06 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[MMA News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UFC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Video]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ion Cutelaba]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UFC Fight Night 252]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://cagesidepress.com/?p=203513</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Seattle, WA — Light heavyweight Ion Cutelaba might have been the only person inside the Climate Pledge Arena at UFC Seattle on Saturday that expected a submission in his fight with Ibo Aslan. The fight even played out as anticipated, right until the end — a wild brawl filled with power shots. &#8220;I knew he [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2025/02/23/ion-cutelaba-ufc-seattle-post-fight-rountree/" data-wpel-link="internal">UFC Seattle&#8217;s Ion Cutelaba Wants Rountree Rematch: &#8220;He Needs to Show That He&#8217;s Better&#8221;</a> appeared first on <a href="https://cagesidepress.com" data-wpel-link="internal">Cageside Press</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Seattle, WA — Light heavyweight Ion Cutelaba might have been the only person inside the Climate Pledge Arena at UFC Seattle on Saturday that expected a submission in his fight with Ibo Aslan.</p>
<p>The fight even played out as anticipated, right until the end — a wild brawl filled with power shots.</p>
<p>&#8220;I knew he was going to have a hard punch, but I also don&#8217;t have a weak punch. And I have a pretty good jaw, I can [take] a punch really well,&#8221; Cutelaba (19-10-1, 1NC) told media outlets including Cageside Press following the fight, which ended rather surprisingly not with a knockout, but an arm-triangle choke. &#8220;But the fact is, I might have made a mistake, and he got me. He got me good. And I felt that, I felt his power. And I realized that that&#8217;s the moment where I had to make a decision.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I had a split decision where I had to go and make an adjustment. Do something different. Realize that that is a lot of power, and I need to adjust to the situation as it&#8217;s happening, not later.&#8221;</p>
<p>Then came the moment where Cutelaba had his opponent hurt. A key takedown followed, and Ion Cutelaba was suddenly in position for the arm-triangle. All inside of a round.</p>
<p>&#8220;I knew there was going to be a submission, I just didn&#8217;t expect it to be in the first round,&#8221; he stated, asked if the finish was what he had envisioned ahead of time. &#8220;We weren&#8217;t going to work too hard in the first round, we weren&#8217;t going to grapple in the first round, we were going to see how it goes, maybe let him work a little bit, feel him out. But after the brawl that ensued, what I realized was that he was tired. I could see that he was tired. So I went for it.&#8221;</p>
<p>Cutelaba said post-fight that he didn&#8217;t care about being the underdog, nor about who he fights next. Still, he did have one name to mention, a former title challenger.</p>
<p>&#8220;Brother I don&#8217;t f*cking care. Favorite, underdog, I don&#8217;t f*cking care. After this, I told everybody, I don&#8217;t f*cking care who is next. I need to fight everyone. But I give a chance to <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2024/10/06/ufc-307-alex-pereira-overcomes-early-adversity-batters-khalil-rountree-jr/" data-wpel-link="internal">[Khalil] Rountree</a> for revenge with me,&#8221; Cutelaba exclaimed. The pair first fought in 2019, with Cutelaba earning a TKO win. &#8220;He needs to show that he&#8217;s better, so I&#8217;ll give him a chance.&#8221;</p>
<p><em>Watch the full UFC Seattle post-fight press conference with Ion Cutelaba above.</em></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2025/02/23/ion-cutelaba-ufc-seattle-post-fight-rountree/" data-wpel-link="internal">UFC Seattle&#8217;s Ion Cutelaba Wants Rountree Rematch: &#8220;He Needs to Show That He&#8217;s Better&#8221;</a> appeared first on <a href="https://cagesidepress.com" data-wpel-link="internal">Cageside Press</a>.</p>
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		<title>After Missing Out on Fight with &#8220;GOAT&#8221; Cruz, UFC Seattle&#8217;s Rob Font Hoping For Another Top Name</title>
		<link>https://cagesidepress.com/2025/02/23/after-missing-out-on-fight-with-goat-cruz-ufc-seattles-rob-font-hoping-for-another-top-name/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Gabriel Gonzalez&nbsp;and&nbsp;Jay Anderson]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 23 Feb 2025 17:38:35 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[MMA News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UFC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Video]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rob Font]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UFC Fight Night 252]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://cagesidepress.com/?p=203504</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Seattle, WA — Although victorious, Rob Font perhaps got a little more fight than he expected at UFC Seattle, where he earned a split decision victory over a very game Jean Matsumoto. &#8220;That kid&#8217;s strong, he was impressive, he was throwing some heavy leg kicks. He was in there the whole time,&#8221; Font (22-8) exclaimed [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2025/02/23/after-missing-out-on-fight-with-goat-cruz-ufc-seattles-rob-font-hoping-for-another-top-name/" data-wpel-link="internal">After Missing Out on Fight with &#8220;GOAT&#8221; Cruz, UFC Seattle&#8217;s Rob Font Hoping For Another Top Name</a> appeared first on <a href="https://cagesidepress.com" data-wpel-link="internal">Cageside Press</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Seattle, WA — Although victorious, Rob Font perhaps got a little more fight than he expected at UFC Seattle, where he earned a split decision victory over a very game Jean Matsumoto.</p>
<p>&#8220;That kid&#8217;s strong, he was impressive, he was throwing some heavy leg kicks. He was in there the whole time,&#8221; Font (22-8) exclaimed following the bout, speaking with media outlets including Cageside Press. &#8220;I thought he would break a little earlier, but there was no quit in that kid, man.&#8221;</p>
<p>Font was supposed to have faced UFC and WEC bantamweight legend Dominick Cruz at UFC Seattle, in what would have been Cruz&#8217;s retirement fight. An injury to Cruz, and his subsequent retirement, saw Matsumoto step in.</p>
<p>The win in Seattle makes it two straight for Font, who was the underdog in both cases. &#8220;I was an underdog in this one too? Get the— come on man, gotta put some respect on my name,&#8221; Font said with a laugh. As for where this win, which came at a 140lb catchweight thanks to Matsumoto stepping up on short notice, puts him, Font is hoping for another big fish.</p>
<p>&#8220;I hope. I hope. Obviously I went from fighting a GOAT like Dominick Cruz, to fighting a newcomer— not necessarily a newcomer, but a guy who only has two fights in the UFC, 16-0, really impressive. The kid is really good. Super strong, talented,&#8221; stated Font. &#8220;Two wins in a row hopefully gets me back in there with another top name, but we&#8217;ll find out soon.&#8221;</p>
<p>Font has been working at <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2025/02/07/bonjour-ufc-heads-to-montreal-for-first-time-since-2015/" data-wpel-link="internal">Montreal</a>&#8216;s famed TriStar Gym of late, and has been enjoying the city, though perhaps not the chilly Canadian winters that come with it. &#8220;The winter&#8217;s rough though, I swear to God, it snowed every day. But I do like Montreal. Firas [Zahabi, TriStar head coach] finally got the heater in the gym, so we&#8217;re chilling now.&#8221;</p>
<p><em>Watch the full UFC Seattle post-fight press appearance by Rob Font above.</em></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2025/02/23/after-missing-out-on-fight-with-goat-cruz-ufc-seattles-rob-font-hoping-for-another-top-name/" data-wpel-link="internal">After Missing Out on Fight with &#8220;GOAT&#8221; Cruz, UFC Seattle&#8217;s Rob Font Hoping For Another Top Name</a> appeared first on <a href="https://cagesidepress.com" data-wpel-link="internal">Cageside Press</a>.</p>
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		<title>UFC Seattle: Song Yadong Wants O&#8217;Malley Fight if Cejudo Rematch Doesn&#8217;t Happen</title>
		<link>https://cagesidepress.com/2025/02/23/ufc-seattle-song-yadong-o-malley/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Gabriel Gonzalez&nbsp;and&nbsp;Jay Anderson]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 23 Feb 2025 13:18:53 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MMA News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UFC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Video]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Song Yadong]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UFC Fight Night 252]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://cagesidepress.com/?p=203498</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Seattle, WA — The UFC Seattle main event fizzled after three rounds, as Song Yadong landed an eye poke on former double champ Henry Cejudo that brought about an early end to the bantamweight fight. It&#8217;s not an outcome anyone wanted. Certainly not Cejudo, and not Song Yadong, despite the fact that he came away [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2025/02/23/ufc-seattle-song-yadong-o-malley/" data-wpel-link="internal">UFC Seattle: Song Yadong Wants O&#8217;Malley Fight if Cejudo Rematch Doesn&#8217;t Happen</a> appeared first on <a href="https://cagesidepress.com" data-wpel-link="internal">Cageside Press</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Seattle, WA — The UFC Seattle main event fizzled after three rounds, as Song Yadong landed an eye poke on former double champ Henry Cejudo that brought about an early end to the bantamweight fight.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s not an outcome anyone wanted. Certainly not Cejudo, and not Song Yadong, despite the fact that he came away with a technical unanimous decision victory, as three full rounds were in the books, sending the bout to the judges.</p>
<p>&#8220;My plan is, finish him fourth or fifth round. That was totally [accidental],&#8221; Yadong (22-8-1, 1NC) said following the event, addressing media outlets including Cageside Press. &#8220;I&#8217;m not so happy with that, but it is what it is. I feel bad. I feel bad for Henry.&#8221;</p>
<p>China&#8217;s Yadong is a soft-spoken fighter, a true nice guy in a sport based on toughness and bravado. A polar opposite of sorts to Cejudo himself, who turned up at weigh-ins with a giant fortune cookie housing his own prediction for the fight  — a prediction that clearly did not come to fruition.</p>
<p>Despite those antics, Song was far from annoyed, and actually appears to admire Cejudo&#8217;s penchant for promotion. &#8220;Totally no,&#8221; Yadong replied when asked if Henry had gotten under his skin or annoyed him in any way. &#8220;I like this guy. He&#8217;s a good promoter, it made it easier to promote the fight. He did some things to make the people watch the fight— I like him.&#8221;</p>
<p>Saturday&#8217;s win in the UFC Seattle main event gives Song Yadong the victory on paper, though coming to an end early seems to have left a sour taste in everyone&#8217;s mouth, including<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0igTYJzanc" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer"> UFC CEO and President Dana White</a>— who nixed the idea of running Yadong and Cejudo a second time. Which means, despite a win over a big-name opponent, Yadong may need to further prove himself against another top bantamweight.</p>
<p>&#8220;My goal is the world champion. So whatever they give me &#8211; my goal is, I want to fight the guy who is ranked above me,&#8221; exclaimed Yadong. &#8220;If not Henry, Sean O&#8217;Malley. Give me O&#8217;Malley. I can fight any time.&#8221;</p>
<p><em>Watch the full UFC Seattle post-fight press conference appearance by Song Yadong above.</em></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2025/02/23/ufc-seattle-song-yadong-o-malley/" data-wpel-link="internal">UFC Seattle: Song Yadong Wants O&#8217;Malley Fight if Cejudo Rematch Doesn&#8217;t Happen</a> appeared first on <a href="https://cagesidepress.com" data-wpel-link="internal">Cageside Press</a>.</p>
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		<title>Dana White: &#8220;Philosophy Hasn&#8217;t Changed&#8221; on Double Champs, Will Be Case by Case</title>
		<link>https://cagesidepress.com/2025/02/23/dana-white-philosophy-hasnt-changed-on-double-champs-will-be-case-by-case/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Gabriel Gonzalez&nbsp;and&nbsp;Jay Anderson]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:40:04 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MMA News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UFC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Video]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dana White]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UFC Fight Night 252]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://cagesidepress.com/?p=203492</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Seattle, WA — Despite rumors that the UFC was doing away with double-champs, sparked in part by Ilia Topuria vacating his featherweight title and moving up to 155lbs, and comments made by Diego Lopes suggesting the promotion would require fighters to drop one belt prior to challenging for another, it seems that&#8217;s not the case. [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2025/02/23/dana-white-philosophy-hasnt-changed-on-double-champs-will-be-case-by-case/" data-wpel-link="internal">Dana White: &#8220;Philosophy Hasn&#8217;t Changed&#8221; on Double Champs, Will Be Case by Case</a> appeared first on <a href="https://cagesidepress.com" data-wpel-link="internal">Cageside Press</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Seattle, WA — Despite rumors that the UFC was doing away with double-champs, sparked in part by Ilia Topuria vacating his featherweight title and moving up to 155lbs, and comments made by <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2024/09/24/diego-lopes-says-no-to-evloev-unless-one-condition-is-met/" data-wpel-link="internal">Diego Lopes</a> suggesting <a href="https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2025/02/ufc-diego-lopes-ilia-topuria-vacating-title-reason" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">the promotion would require fighters to drop one belt</a> prior to challenging for another, it seems that&#8217;s not the case.</p>
<p>During Saturday&#8217;s UFC Seattle post-fight press conference, <a href="http://ufc.com" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">UFC</a> CEO and President Dana White stated that the matter of double champs would be decided on a case by case basis, rather than a blanket policy. In that sense, the philosophy has not changed.</p>
<p>As it turns out, it was Topuria, not the promotion, who decided he should vacate at 145. &#8220;No, he did that. He said &#8216;I&#8217;ve done everything I can do here, I&#8217;m ready to move up,&#8217; and he vacated,&#8221; White revealed, speaking with media outlets including Cageside Press. &#8220;He said &#8216;I shouldn&#8217;t be holding up anybody&#8217;s opportunities.&#8217; I respect when guys do that.&#8221;</p>
<p>When it comes to champions holding two titles in the UFC, White is still open to it, though he made clear that he wants to see then defend both belts. &#8220;Listen if there&#8217;s a guy that thinks he can do it and wants to defend both belts and has accomplished all these great things, I would have no problem with it,&#8221; he added. &#8220;But you&#8217;re going to be busy.&#8221;</p>
<p>The case for moving up and challenging for a second title seems to be the same, meanwhile &#8211; a fighter should essentially have done all he can in his or her own division. &#8220;Unless you&#8217;ve really wiped out your division — like Jon Jones, who was in light heavyweight forever then moved up to heavyweight. Ilia, I get it. It makes sense, like I said, who he&#8217;s beat and how he beat them, and now he&#8217;s tired of making weight and wants to move up, totally makes sense.&#8221;</p>
<p>Another example, for White, is women&#8217;s strawweight champ <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2025/02/09/weili-zhang-wants-shot-at-125-title-if-theres-a-good-time-for-both-of-us/" data-wpel-link="internal">Weili Zhang</a>. Earlier in the night White admitted he&#8217;d like to see the Chinese star fight for flyweight gold. &#8220;She&#8217;s accomplished just about everything you can accomplish in her weight division. And I don&#8217;t have a problem about it. The philosophy hasn&#8217;t changed, just on a case by case basis.&#8221;</p>
<p>As for Ilia Topuria, &#8220;I think that he felt he had done everything with the guys that he beat, if you look at who he beat and how he beat them. And I don&#8217;t think he loved making that weight anymore,&#8221; stated White. And though <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2025/01/19/islam-makhachev-ufc-311-du-plessis/" data-wpel-link="internal">Islam Makhachev</a> would seem like the obvious target for &#8220;El Matador,&#8221; that lightweight title fight doesn&#8217;t appear to be set in stone.</p>
<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s still other possibilities. There&#8217;s a lot of sh*t going on right now, otherwise I would have said,&#8221; White declared on that front.</p>
<p><em>Watch the full UFC Seattle post-fight press conference appearance by Dana White above.</em></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2025/02/23/dana-white-philosophy-hasnt-changed-on-double-champs-will-be-case-by-case/" data-wpel-link="internal">Dana White: &#8220;Philosophy Hasn&#8217;t Changed&#8221; on Double Champs, Will Be Case by Case</a> appeared first on <a href="https://cagesidepress.com" data-wpel-link="internal">Cageside Press</a>.</p>
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		<title>Alonzo Menifield, Newcomer Julius Walker Earn Fight of the Night at UFC Seattle</title>
		<link>https://cagesidepress.com/2025/02/23/alonzo-menifield-newcomer-julius-walker-earn-fight-of-the-night-at-ufc-seattle/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jay Anderson]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:43:40 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[MMA News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UFC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Alonzo Menifield]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jean Silva]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Julius Walker]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ricky Simon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UFC Fight Night 252]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://cagesidepress.com/?p=203488</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>UFC Seattle marked the promotion&#8217;s first trip to the Washington state city in over a decade, and came out of the gate hot with seven straight finishes — the entirety of the preliminary card. That pace didn&#8217;t hold up by the time the main card rolled around, but a couple of those fights were highly [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2025/02/23/alonzo-menifield-newcomer-julius-walker-earn-fight-of-the-night-at-ufc-seattle/" data-wpel-link="internal">Alonzo Menifield, Newcomer Julius Walker Earn Fight of the Night at UFC Seattle</a> appeared first on <a href="https://cagesidepress.com" data-wpel-link="internal">Cageside Press</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>UFC Seattle marked the promotion&#8217;s first trip to the Washington state city in over a decade, and came out of the gate hot with seven straight finishes — the entirety of the preliminary card.</p>
<p>That pace didn&#8217;t hold up by the time the main card rolled around, but a couple of those fights were highly entertaining, including Rob Font vs. Jean Matsumoto, where Font displayed his ample standup skills, and Brendan Allen vs. Anthony Hernandez in the co-headliner, a grappling fan&#8217;s dream.</p>
<p>It was light heavyweights Alonzo Menifield and Julius Walker (the latter making his UFC debut on short notice) that drew Fight of the Night honors at UFC Seattle, however. UFC President and CEO <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2025/02/22/three-potential-losers-from-dana-whites-breaking-news/" data-wpel-link="internal">Dana White</a> announced the bonus-winners during the night&#8217;s post-fight press conference, as well as an attendance of 18,287 at the Climate Pledge Arena on Saturday.</p>
<p>Performance of the Night bonuses went to Jean Silva and Ricky Simon, both of whom scored thunderous knockout victories. Simon, known as much for his wrestling as his hands, absolutely floored Javid Basharat on the preliminary card. Silva did the same to Melsik Baghdasaryan, and might have had a walk-off KO had the referee not insisted the fight continue, somewhat needlessly, as the fallen fighter covered up on the ground. Silva obliged, and added ground n&#8217; pound that felt wholly unnecessary until the ref waved things off, giving him a TKO finish.</p>
<p>All four bonus-winners come away from UFC Seattle with an extra $50,000. Four of five main-card fights wound up going the distance for eight finishes overall on the night.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2025/02/23/alonzo-menifield-newcomer-julius-walker-earn-fight-of-the-night-at-ufc-seattle/" data-wpel-link="internal">Alonzo Menifield, Newcomer Julius Walker Earn Fight of the Night at UFC Seattle</a> appeared first on <a href="https://cagesidepress.com" data-wpel-link="internal">Cageside Press</a>.</p>
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		<title>Song Yadong Takes Technical Decision After Bad Eye Poke</title>
		<link>https://cagesidepress.com/2025/02/23/song-yadong-takes-technical-decision-after-bad-eye-poke/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Eddie Law]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 23 Feb 2025 05:03:48 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Results & Recaps]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UFC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Henry Cejudo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Song Yadong]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UFC Fight Night 252]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://cagesidepress.com/?p=203433</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Former UFC bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo looked to get back to the title at UFC Seattle, but standing in his way was Song Yadong on Saturday night. Cejudo (16-4) was coming two straight losses to current champ Merab Dvalishvili and former champ Aljamain Sterling respectively. The former champ-champ needed a decisive victory over Song Yadong [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2025/02/23/song-yadong-takes-technical-decision-after-bad-eye-poke/" data-wpel-link="internal">Song Yadong Takes Technical Decision After Bad Eye Poke</a> appeared first on <a href="https://cagesidepress.com" data-wpel-link="internal">Cageside Press</a>.</p>
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										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Former UFC bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo looked to get back to the title at <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2025/02/22/ufc-seattle-cejudo-vs-yadong-post-fight-press-conference-live-stream/" data-wpel-link="internal">UFC Seattle</a>, but standing in his way was Song Yadong on Saturday night.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.ufc.com/event/ufc-fight-night-february-22-2025#11869" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">Cejudo</a> (16-4) was coming two straight losses to current champ Merab Dvalishvili and former champ Aljamain Sterling respectively. The former champ-champ needed a decisive victory over Song Yadong to make a claim at a title shot.</p>
<p>Song (21-8-1) has slowly made his case to be a contender with wins over Marlon Moraes, and Ricky Simon but a win over Cejudo would cement him on the short list of contenders at 135.</p>
<p>Round 1 began with Cejudo employing a high-pressure game plan trying to get Song to the fence and shoot the takedown, but his opponent would not cooperate. Song fired off kicks and the very experienced Cejudo would let flurries off up top trying to land.</p>
<p>Song would land short counters on Cejudo as the former champ would feint takedowns. Cejudo used the round to feel out what his opponent would do with the feints. Cejudo finally shot a single leg with less than a minute in the round, but bailed and landed a left hook up top instead.</p>
<p>Round ended with Cejudo trying to land on Song on the fence.</p>
<p>Round 2 a more measure approach from Cejudo with not as many feints, but still not able to get in clean on Song. Both men threw plenty of leg kicks. Song began to have some big reactions to the takedowns.</p>
<p>The rest of the round was a striking chess match between the fighters. Cejudo going for a lot of calf kicks, but Song doing well to counter up top.</p>
<p>Round 3 the counter game continued with neither man trying to over extend their strikes. There was a break in the action just under 3 minutes left in the round with a low blow from Song.</p>
<p>The striking battle continued with a lot of fake single leg grabs from Cejudo. He&#8217;d go for it for a second then bail and throw heavy up top, but missed most of them. Then another foul from Song paused the action.</p>
<p>After a 5-minute break the action continued.</p>
<p>Cejudo still could not see clearly from his left eye as Song went after him. Cejudo continued to wipe it during the rest of the round.</p>
<p>During the break Cejudo seemed to tell his corner &#8220;I can&#8217;t f*cking see&#8221; repeatedly.</p>
<p>Cejudo let the doctor know he couldn&#8217;t see, told Herzog, and the fight was waved.</p>
<p><em>Official result: Song Yadong def. Henry Cejudo via Technical Decision (29-28&#215;2, 30-27)</em></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://cagesidepress.com/2025/02/23/song-yadong-takes-technical-decision-after-bad-eye-poke/" data-wpel-link="internal">Song Yadong Takes Technical Decision After Bad Eye Poke</a> appeared first on <a href="https://cagesidepress.com" data-wpel-link="internal">Cageside Press</a>.</p>
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