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Bantamweight Issues Honest Admission—Says UFC Kept Him on Ice

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Michael Aldon | Last updated Feb 17, 2025 9:50 PM ET

The road to a title shot for a UFC contender is filled with obstacles. While a crucial loss can affect a fighter’s timeline, these roadblocks often come from outside the octagon and exist on the business side of the fight game.

Negotiating the right fights at the right time, securing favorable matchups, and staying active without overextending is just as critical as in-cage performance.

For UFC bantamweight contender Song Yadong, his obstacles have been through both.

The Chinese fighter revealed in a recent interview with Ariel Helwani that the promotion had refused to book him for a fight since his loss to Petr Yan in March, causing him to be inactive.

He expressed his frustrations, saying, “I told the UFC I want to fight anybody, even an unranked opponent is okay, but they don’t give me anyone. They want me to wait.”

In the interview, he claims that the promotion offered him a fight with Henry Cejudo in September, but Cejudo was sidelined with an injury. He goes on to say that the promotion rebooked him to fight Umar Nurmagomedov in January, but they instead decided to give Nurmagomedov a title shot against Merab Dvalishvili.

Now, with a fight scheduled against Cejudo this weekend at UFC Fight Night 252: Seattle, Song hopes to not only secure his position in the bantamweight division as a top contender but also try to retire the former Olympic gold medalist.

While Song is listed as the bantamweight entry in MMA Country’s most overrated fighters, this weekend will be his opportunity to prove that his position as a top contender is warranted.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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