Hard as it might be to believe, but Song Yadong will come up on a decade of fighting in the UFC next year.
Through nine years competing in the octagon, Song can boast of being a winning fighter as he’s gone 11-4-1 during his promotional tenure with a few key wins to be ranked and considered a bantamweight contender. But he hasn’t strung enough wins together to truly flirt with being a title challenger.
That fact isn’t lost on his.
“Right now I’m a tough fighter, top-five UFC fighter in the world, I am proud of myself, but I need to get the f*cking belt, bro,” Song told MMA Junkie on Tuesday. “That’s my goal. I need to work hard, win the f*cking fight.”
The “f*cking fight” (his words) he needs to win is this Saturday when he headlines UFC Fight Night 277 (Paramount+) against former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo at Galaxy Arena in Macau. Song will enter the bout after a tough loss to Sean O’Malley this past January in a fight many believed Song won.
Saturday will mark the first time Song has fought in his home country of China since 2018. That fact plus That fact plus the need to rebound to get back on the title path makes this feel like a must-win for Song.
“Every fight is very important for me, but this fight is big,” Song said. “It’s a fight in my hometown. I have to win. I have to win this fight.”
Song said he’s spent some time around Figueiredo, who’s No. 7 in the official UFC bantamweight rankings, in the gym. When they faced off earlier this week for the first time, Figueiredo gave Song a playful fist to the chest that didn’t bother him.
There’s nothing personal between the two fighters, according to Song, and the motivation to win this fight will simply need to come from within himself.
“Actually he’s a good guy,” Song said. “I met him in my last fight; we were in the same card. We trained together. He’s very friendly; I’m friendly. … I feel nothing, no feelings. He’s a good guy.
“He’s a flyweight former champion. He’s always dangerous. Look who he lost to: Petr Yan, Umar, he lost to the best guys in the world. He’s still very dangerous and has more experience. I will be very serious in the fight.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Macau: Song Yadong ‘needs to get the f*cking belt’