UFC Is ‘Protecting’ Sean O’Malley

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – Song Yadong wants a top-five matchup next time out.

Yadong got back into the win column at UFC Vegas 72 last night (Sat., Apr. 29, 2023) when he finished Ricky Simon in the fifth round of their main event fight from inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada (watch highlights).

The 25-year-old Chinese fight now has six finishes inside the octagon and a record of 9-2-1. He has also picked a Performance of the Night bonus for his TKO.

With the big TKO win over Simon, “ Kung Fu Kid” believes he deserves a top-five opponent in his next outing but will settle for a top six.

“So, I want to fight top five fighters, even [Rob] Font; he’s six, right? He’s okay,” Yadong told reporters at the UFC Vegas 72 post-fight press conference (watch here). “Yeah, Chito Vera and Sean O’Malley. But they probably won’t give me Sean O’Malley [because] the UFC [will] protect him. Yeah, whatever, just top five, my goal is to fight top five fighters this year.”

When MMA Mania asked about a potential fight with former UFC Bantamweight champion Petr Yan, Yadong said he wants him too.

“Of course, actually, people just asked me that question. Yeah, I want to fight him. I just forgot to call him out,” Yadong said.

While yes, a fight with O’Malley is out of the question at the moment, a fight with Yan or Font makes a lot of sense. A rematch with Vera also makes sense, especially because the first fight had a controversial decision.

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For complete UFC Vegas 72 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.