Chinese bantamweight Song Yadong picked up the most impressive victory of his career on Saturday night in Las Vegas, knocking out former title challenger Marlon Moraes in round one. Song met Moraes in the co-main event of the UFC Vegas 50 card. It was clear from the opening bell that the 24-year-old from Harbin had a significant speed advantage. That speed – coupled with the Chinese fighter’s proven knockout power – was Moraes’ undoing. Little more than two minutes into the first round, Song flattened his experienced foe with a devastating uppercut at close quarters. Seconds later, the referee was diving into position to end the fight. SONG YADONG SHUT MORAES' LIGHTS OUT 😱 #UFCVegas50 pic.twitter.com/TezbYzvIjB — ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 13, 2022 With his knockout victory over Moraes, Song (19-6-1) is now on a three-fight streak, having beaten Julio Arce by second-round stoppage and Casey Kenney by decision in his next most recent appearances. For his next fight, he is hoping to meet former bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz, one of the greatest fighters in the division’s history. “I want a fight with Dominick Cruz,” Song said in his post-fight interview with commentator Paul Felder. “I have a lot of respect for him, but I want this fight.” The 37-year-old American Cruz (24-3-0) has a long-standing rivalry with Team Alpha Male – the Sacramento, California gym where Song now does the bulk of his training. The former champion most notably fought the gym’s founder Urijah Faber three times, losing the first encounter by submission, and winning the second two by decision. He is currently riding decision wins over Pedro Munhoz and Kenney. In defeat, the 33-year-old Moraes (23-10-1) is now on a four-fight skid, having also recently been beaten by Merab Dvalishvili, Rob Font and Cory Sandhagen – all by knockout, all before the third round. The Brazilian, who previously ruled over the World Series of Fighting bantamweight division, was once considered a top fighter, but is seemingly nearing the end of his prime. The UFC Vegas 50 card was headlined by a light heavyweight contender clash between Russia’s Magomed Ankalaev and Brazil’s Thiago Santos. It was an underwhelming affair, but the 29-year-old Ankalaev (17-1) ultimately did enough to win a unanimous decision, moving onto an eight-fight streak in the process. UFC: Rogan says Zhang vs Jedrzejczyk proves MMA ‘not a game’ In victory, he is one of the front runners for a crack at the winner of an upcoming title fight between champion Glover Teixeira and challenger Jiri Prochazka. The 38-year-old Santos (22-10), meanwhile, is now 1-4 in his last five, having sandwiched a decision win over Johnny Walker between losses to Jon Jones, Teixeira, Aleksandar Rakic, and now Ankalaev. UFC Vegas 50 featured a total of 14 bouts. Eight of those bouts ended with finishes. Five of those finishes came by way of knockout, and three by submission. ROUNTREE FOLDED HIM 😱 #UFCVegas50 pic.twitter.com/HRhGhS0zrv — ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 13, 2022 Among the night’s other big winners were American light heavyweight Khalil Rountree (10-5), who blew away countryman Karl Roberson (9-5) in round two, and American featherweight Drew Dober (24-11), who survived an early scare to knock out Terrence McKinney (12-4) in the first round. The card also included an impressive win from Nigerian-American Sodiq Yusuff, who picked up a decision win over Alex Caceres. The win distanced him from a 2021 loss to England’s Arnold Allen.