UFC Macau: China’s Song Yadong out for statement win against Brazil’s Deiveson Figueiredo
Bantamweight fighter, who suffered controversial loss in his last bout, says he will not feel extra pressure performing before home crowd
There is more at stake for Song Yadong this weekend than just making sure he puts on a show for his home fans when he takes on Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC Macau.
Coming into the bantamweight bout, which is headlining Saturday’s event at Galaxy Arena, the Chinese fighter needs a statement win to keep himself in the conversation over who gets to challenge division champion Petr Yan of Russia.
A highly controversial loss to Sean O’Malley last time out at UFC 324 leaves Song (22-9-1, 1 no-contest) with two defeats in his past three fights and facing a former flyweight champion in Figueiredo (25-6-1) with title aspirations of his own.
Still, the fifth-ranked 28-year-old does not think he needs to prove himself after a unanimous decision he sincerely believes went the wrong way.
“I just need to win the next fight, next fight, next fight,” Song said. “I’m very close to these guys. I lost because of small points. One or two fights and I’ll get a title shot.
“Grappling or striking I can totally beat this guy, I’m so confident. I’m going to show all the fans I’m still a contender in my division.”