UFC Fight Night 252: Cejudo vs. Song – Controversial Results and Unforgettable Highlights

A breathtaking showdown between former two-division champion Henry Cejudo and the Chinese rising star Song Yadong turned UFC Fight Night at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington, into an action-packed evening. The most exciting minutes in the ring were provided by the night’s electrifying finishes, intense battles, and major statement victories that took place. Now, let’s address the main points of this event and summarize this spectacular night.

Main Event: Song Yadong vs. Henry Cejudo

The highly anticipated bantamweight showdown between Song Yadong and Henry Cejudo ended in dramatic fashion. The contest was prematurely stopped after an unintentional eye poke took place at the end of the third round. Consequently, the fight was given to the scorecards for a technical decision as Cejudo could not carry on with the contest.

Fight Summary

At the very start of the UFC fight, it was Song who was the first to master the striking using his quickness and pinpoint precision to connect hard shots to Cejudo. The former champion attempted to determine the fight with his wrestling, however, Song’s takedown defense was unbreakable. Keeping the pace for the first three rounds, the Chinese fighter beat Cejudo in significant strikes and controlled the striking exchanges.

At the end of the third round, a spark in the form of an inadvertent eye poke distracted the fighters, and after five minutes, Cejudo decided to complete the round but had to be ruled out from the contest. The division was referred to the judges who gave the fight to Song Yadong by means of technical decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27), the biggest triumph of his career.

Winner: Song Yadong

Co-Main Event: Anthony Hernandez vs. Brendan Allen

Anthony Hernandez continued his winning streak. He now has a seven-fight winning streak, surpassing Brendan Allen thanks to a hard-earned unanimous decision victory (29-28, 29-28, 29-28). The middleweights put on a sensational show that simply pulled no punches with their riveting ground game and fast-paced continuous action. It was not until the third round, when Hernandez showed his superiority that he could continue the lead in the match focusing on pressuring Allen and end up winning.

Fight Summary

The high-level grappling was on the menu as both fighters started off the first round, and the spectators were treated to imperfectly planned and failed submission attempts. Allen succeeded in dictating Hernandez’s actions on the ground. In the following round, Hernandez decided to dictate play as the momentum shifted swiftly to him with striking that was substantially more accurate than before, and Allen was left dumbfounded. Before the last round, Hernandez had succeeded in squeezing him to an extremely defensive posture throwing him off his feet. The win moves Hernandez closer to his fight in the middleweight division to challenge for the title.

Winner: Anthony Hernandez

Other Notable Fights & Results

Catchweight Battle: Rob Font vs. Jean Matsumoto

It was a 140-pound showdown battle between Rob Font and Jean Matsumoto that was competed like a game of chess in the most thrilling way. With every meaningful exchange of the war, the experienced striking skills of Font up against Matsumoto’s versatile type of abilities were as sporty as it can be.

On the one hand, Font’s jab and counter-hit were infallible, keeping Matsumoto in a circle as he would brace himself for the incoming counterstrikes. On the other hand, Matsumoto tried to mix in his grappling techniques. The Brazilian owned is the match-deciding set and that was him who won the decision with (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) the split. Font has now a 2nd win in a row to keep his success in the bantamweight division emerging.

Winner: Rob Font

Knockout of the Night: Jean Silva vs. Melsik Baghdasaryan

Rising featherweight Jean Silva was so outstanding in his match that he scored a TKO in the first round at the 4:15 mark. With that, he has now won four consecutive matches via knockout in the UFC. A well-aimed right-hand punch from Silva rendered Melsik Baghdasaryan unbalanced, and the few follow-up strikes were all that he needed. By aggressive and electrifying finishers, Silva became a favorite of the fans in no time. This excellent performance has emphasized his status as a man who finishes fights in the 145-pound weight class.

Winner: Jean Silva

Alonzo Menifield vs. Julius Walker

The feature bout between Alonzo Menifield and Julius Walker was won by Alonzo Menifield by a split decision (29-28, 30-27, 28-29). Filling the air with his heavy shots and a greater number of blows, Menifield emerged as a winner after the three round battle. Despite the fact that Walker tried to exert his wrestling, Menifield’s takedown defense was unshakable. In the dying minutes, the two fighters became exhausted when they exchanged blows, but Menifield’s power and effectiveness in the striking department guaranteed him the win.

Winner: Alonzo Menifield

UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs. Song was not only a great weekend of fighting, but also the veterans showed quality in the matches and the newcomers were confident enough to make their own statement among them. The Muay Thai striking of Song Yadong was important in the UFC fight but I looked for ground control and was able to respond with takedowns resulting in my wins. The battle drew would-be audiences, but its excitement had a fair share with Jair Rozenstruik and Mykola Bulecha in the combat fray. Another successful UFC is on the way, come and witness UFC 313: Pereira vs. Ankalaev in which the competition will be no less fierce than the last time.