Yan rallies to beat Song, end 3-fight losing streak
Former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan showed against Song Yadong that he's still one of the best at 135 pounds.
Yan defeated Song via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) at UFC 299 on Saturday night at Kaseya Center in Miami.
"No Mercy" snapped a three-fight skid and earned his first victory since October 2021.
Song got off to a good start in the first round, landing the more effective strikes and securing one takedown.
Yan responded well in the second, opening up with more punches on the feet, including a few hard uppercuts, and digging to Song's body. The third round was competitive until Yan sealed the deal by taking Song down with a minute left and landing a few elbows and some other ground-and-pound shots.
With the victory, Yan is back in the win column after losing three straight against Merab Dvalishvili, current bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley, and Aljamain Sterling. It's the Russian's first victory since beating Cory Sandhagen for the interim 135-pound title at UFC 267 and just his second victory since finishing Jose Aldo for the undisputed belt in July 2020.
Song, one of the UFC's top fighters from China, saw a two-fight winning streak end.