Henry Cejudo admits Song Yadong tough but confident he can finish UFC Seattle headliner

Former UFC two-division champion Henry Cejudo sees Song Yadong as a good stylistic matchup.

Cejudo (16-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) and Song (21-8-1 MMA, 10-3-1 UFC) square off in the UFC Fight Night 252 headliner Feb. 22 at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. Cejudo will look to snap a two-fight losing skid against one of the division’s most promising contenders. But with his championship experience, Cejudo thinks he’ll have the edge.

“It’s going to turn out to be a banger, dude,” Cejudo said on his “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with Kamaru Usman. “Stylistically, we’re both kind of little muscular humans. Song is a little taller, but he probably does cut a lot of weight. I personally like the fight stylistically, as well. I think Song is going to bring a lot of power, uses a lot of hands.

“But we also know that once you start doing some other things, he’ll be fading away just a bit. I have a good game plan set in place for a guy who is about 10 years younger than me. Song is a tough opponent, and I like it. But I can see myself stopping this dude. He’s going to need a lot more than a fortune cookie, let me tell you.”

Despite Cejudo’s confidence, Song has been booked in five-round fights multiple times in his career. His most recent win came in a main event against Chris Gutierrez at UFC Fight Night 233 in December 2023.