UFC Fight Night 197 video: Song Yadong lands head kick, storms Julio Arce for TKO

Song Yadong once again showed his strong finishing instincts when he stopped Julio Arce at UFC Fight Night 197.

Yadong (17-4-1 MMA, 7-1-1 UFC), who at 23 is one of the brightest prospects in the bantamweight division, got another solid win courtesy of a third-round TKO over Arce (17-5 MMA, 4-3 UFC) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

The finish was started by a right head kick. Yadong connected with a shot that staggered Arce, but then he attacked with more strikes until he got a knockdown and forced referee Herb Dean to step in at the 1:35 mark of Round 2.

Check out the replay below (via Twitter):

Another highlight for the reel, my GOODNESS!!! @SongYadongMMA backing up the hype!

[ #UFCVegas42 | Main Card is LIVE on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/kNmDInPCuN

— UFC (@ufc) November 13, 2021

After the win, Yadong said he followed through on his goal of a knockout.

“I knew it was a crafty opponent, but today I was on the hunt,” Yadong told Michael Bisping through an interpreter during his post-fight interview. “I wanted to knock him out.”

Up-to-the-minute results of UFC Fight Night 197 include:

• Song Yadong def. Julio Arce via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:35
• Joel Alvarez def. Thiago Moises via TKO (elbows, punches) – Round 1, 3:01
• Andrea Lee def. Cynthia Calvillo via TKO (corner stoppage) – Round 2, 5:00
• Sean Woodson def. Collin Anglin via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:30
• Cortney Casey def. Liana Jojua via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Rafael Alves def. Marc Diakiese via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 1:48
• Da Un Jung def. Kennedy Nzechukwu via knockout (elbows) – Round 1, 3:04