UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs. Song Preview and Predictions

The UFC heads to the Pacific Northwest this weekend with a pair of bantamweight contenders atop the marquee. Former two-division champion Henry Cejudo will fight for the third time since his return to action, looking to notch his first win in his comeback. He takes on rising star Song Yadong, who has recently become a contender in his own right. The Team Alpha Male product is looking to notch the biggest victory of his professional career against the Olympic gold medalist wrestler.

The co-main event pits two middleweight standouts against one another as Brendan Allen takes on Anthony Hernandez. Allen is looking to rebound from a lackluster appearance in his most recent fight, where he dropped a decision to Nassourdine Imavov. Hernandez looked every bit a world class fighter the last time he was in action, dominating Michel Pereira for the entirety of their fight until the referee mercifully halted the bout. Whoever wins this contest will firmly insert himself in the title contention conversation.

The event airs live in its entirety on ESPN+ starting at 6 p.m. ET. Combat Press writers Andrew Sumian and Matt Petela preview the action in this week’s Toe-toe-Toe.

Henry Cejudo has not scored a victory since returning from retirement; can “Triple C” finally get his first win of this career resurgence?

Sumian: This is a classic rising-contender-versus-veteran matchup. It does feel odd calling Song Yadong a rising contender given he has competed in the UFC since 2017, but the China native is only 27 years old and improves every time he steps foot in the Octagon. On other hand, Henry Cejudo is who he is. The former flyweight and bantamweight champion has definitely slowed down since returning to the UFC, but he has looked somewhat decent competing against elite bantamweights upon his return. This fight will ultimately come down to which bantamweight can implement his game plan within the first two rounds.

It is no secret what Song wants to do in this fight – stay on the feet, consistently land combinations, and eventually knock Cejudo out before this fight gets to the halfway point. Song is a powerful striker and has knockout power in both hands. In addition, Song has fought in three five-round fights All three went past the fourth round, giving him the experience he needs to hang with a veteran like Cejudo. Song will need to stay away from the clinch work and rigorous wrestling of Cejudo for a long time. His best path to victory is to be able to maintain his distance, fire off leg kicks and combinations, and eventually score a TKO victory before Cejudo has time to find his rhythm and chain-wrestle.

It is difficult to understand what Cejudo’s motivations are at this point. He is one of the most accomplished MMA fighters in history and truly has nothing to prove. On top of that, he has returned to the one of the most difficult and powerful divisions in MMA today. The list of contenders at bantamweight is seemingly endless and is right behind the lightweights as the most stacked division in 2025. Despite this, Cejudo still has some left in the tank. He gave Aljamain Sterling an extremely competitive fight back in May 2023, but he fell significantly short against the tenacity of current UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvashvili back in Feb. 2024. For Cejudo, victory will be achieved with patience, defense and calculation. He will need to let the younger Song punch himself out and then establish his wrestling offense to score takedowns. Once there, he will need to apply the pressure with ground strikes and transitions to eventually secure a TKO victory.

This is certainly not my favorite matchup for either fighter given how stacked the bantamweight division is. Nevertheless, it should keep the division moving forward depending on how this fight plays out. It would be wonderful for Song to score the victory here and establish himself as a true threat to the bantamweight throne. Unfortunately, that will not be the case.

Cejudo will be able to survive the early onslaught and power of Song and start scoring takedowns in Rounds 2 and 3. He will secure a dominant position and finish the rising star before the end of the Round 4.

Petela: I have to think that Henry Cejudo is looking for one win in this second run in the UFC before he calls it a career once again. This fight might look easier on paper than his first two fights in the return, as both previous opponents were UFC champions. However, Song Yadong poses a very difficult challenge for Cejudo.

Song trains with the guys at Team Alpha Male, some of the best mixed martial arts wrestlers on the planet. He will be very difficult to take down. The striking edge for Song will be clear, and he is much better at keeping in the proper range to hit and not be hit, which is the name of the game after all. I think Cejudo will have a hard time laying a glove on Song from the opening bell. This one probably goes the distance, but it will be lopsided. Song wins a unanimous decision where he frustrates Cejudo for 25 minutes. Even though he won’t get the win that he desperately wants, I think this is the final time we see Henry Cejudo make a walk to the UFC Octagon.

Anthony Hernandez looked better than ever in his last fight; will he extend his winning streak to seven and defeat Brendan Allen?

Petela: To put it bluntly, Brendan Allen did not look good against Nassourdine Imavov. It is tough to say whether that means Imavov is that good, or if Allen isn’t as talented as many people thought. After Imavov’s win over Israel Adesanya, I tend to lean towards the former rather than the latter.

The bad thing for Allen in this fight is that Anthony Hernandez is growing into an elite fighter. This will be another standout performance, just like his most recent win over Michel Pereira. From pillar-to-post, I think Hernandez will be a clear notch above Allen on the feet, and, by the time Allen has any success getting the fight to the mat, he will be too exhausted to keep Hernandez down. Fourth-round TKO for Anthony Hernandez, and he officially announces himself as a contender at middleweight.

Sumian: I will have to go with “Fluffy” Hernandez for this one as well. He is on a tear and consistently looks better every time he steps foot into the Octagon. Brendan Allen is a good fighter, but he lacks the tenacity, killer instinct, and overall personality to take it to the next level. He will be a top-15 middleweight for as long as he competes at a high level, but he will find himself hitting a ceiling every time he is poised for a great moment.

Allen will win the first round of this fight, mark my words. He will be able to control Hernandez and win the first round due to activity and Octagon control. Eventually, the pressures of creating a moment will get to Allen, and he will make a mistake. Hernandez will jump on this opportunity, as he usually does, and either finish Allen by way of submission or ground strikes. Hernandez is must-watch TV and should earn himself a top-10 middleweight for his next UFC appearance.

What one fighter’s UFC career is on the ropes at this event?

Sumian: I would never have thought I would be answering this particular question with the name Ricky Simon. Unfortunately for Simon, he is on a three-fight losing streak and has failed to get back on track since 2022. Simon desperately needs a victory to stick around, and moreso, get his confidence back. He should be able to take out Javid Basharat this coming Saturday via unanimous decision.

Petela: Alonzo Menifield. He has dropped two fights in a row and has gotten knocked out in both of those fights. He is facing an undefeated prospect who is making his UFC debut, Julius Walker, and can end a fight with strikes or submissions. If this one goes poorly for Menifield, it will probably be the end of the line.

Which fight is the sleeper match-up on this card?

Petela: There is a clear and obvious answer to this one, but I’ll leave that for Andrew since he’s not the creative genius that I am. Instead, I’ll take a flyer on Austin Vanderford vs. Nikolay Veretennikov. The former Bellator standout lost his last two fights under the Bellator banner before bouncing back with a win inside the LFA promotion. Veretennikov is looking for his first UFC win, and both of these guys will be looking to make an emphatic statement.

Sumian: There is simply no other answer except Ion Cutelaba and Ibo Aslan. These two combine for 27 total knockouts, and 24 of those knockouts have ended in the first round. This fight is absolutely guaranteed to end in the first round no matter who wins. Both men will swing violently for as long they can before one of them goes night night.

Who takes home the “Performance of the Night” honors?

Sumian: This will likely be considered a bold call, but I believe Jean Silva is going to hand Melsik Baghdasaryan his first knockout loss. This fight made little sense when announced, given how much farther ahead Silva is in his career. Nevertheless, I expect both men to stand and strike until Silva lands a shot and eventually finishes Baghdasaryan in the second round.

Petela: Rob Font. He got back on track in his last fight with a win over Kyler Phillips. With another camp under the tutelage of the great Faras Zahabi, I’m expecting a continued resurgence from Font and a stoppage win over Jean Matsumoto.

Pair this card with…

Petela: Chicken Chesapeake. Now, I know this card is on the opposite coast of the beloved Chesapeake Bay, but still, this is the perfect dish to encapsulate this fight card, especially the main event. Clearly, Henry Cejudo and his wrestling prowess is the chicken – plain and simple but effective – and gets the job done. Song Yadong is the crab meat – exciting and a little unconventional. You pair those two together and, voila, you have the makings of a fantastic main event.

Sumian: Good vibes. Overall, this is a pretty good fight night card compared to what we have seen over the last couple of years. The main and co-main event definitely have some high stakes and the remainder of the card includes several fights that will provide guaranteed action and finishes. The card takes place in Seattle, Washington so pair this fight night up with some seafood, coffee for the prelims, and craft beer for the main card.