UFC bantamweight contender Song Yadong wasn’t thrilled about the recent comments middleweight titleholder Sean Strickland made about China.
One of a number of prominent Chinese fighters competing in the UFC, Song is currently the promotion’s #7 ranked bantamweight contender after he picked up back-to-back wins against Ricky Simón and Chris Gutierrez last year.
“Kung Fu Kid” is set to take on former bantamweight titleholder Petr Yan at UFC 299 for his next outing, but the 26-year-old recently decided to call out a reigning champion in a much higher weight class when Strickland made a disparaging post about China.
Song’s response to Strickland was surprisingly respectful given the nature of the 32-year-old’s comments, especially considering that other fighters on the UFC roster have recently been critical of the middleweight champion for his unfiltered takes.
A member of the UFC roster since 2014, Strickland entered last year on a two-fight skid before he put together a tremendous three-fight winning streak that culminated with a major upset against Israel Adesanya to claim the middleweight belt.
The 32-year-old has recently been making headlines for his ongoing war of words with unbeaten welterweight contender Ian Machado Garry. Strickland will return to the cage later this month to defend his middleweight belt against top contender Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297, which will be the promotion’s first PPV card of 2024.
More must-reads: