UFC Vegas 72’s Song Yadong calls for Top 5-ranked fight next, claims UFCp ‘protecting’ Sean O’Malley

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA — Song Yadong wants a Top 5-ranked opponent for his next UFC match.

Yadong got back into the win column at UFC Vegas 72 last night (Sat., April 29, 2023) inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, finishing Ricky Simon in the fifth and final round of their Bantamweight main event banger (watch highlights).

The 25-year-old Chinese fighter now boasts six finishes inside the Octagon and an overall mixed martial arts (MMA) record of 9-2-1. He has also picked a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for his impressive technical knockout stoppage.

With the big finish over Simon, “Kung Fu Kid” believes he deserves a Top 5 opponent in his next outing (but will settle for Top 6).

“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 MMAmania.com 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,” Yadong said. “Yeah, I want to fight him. I just forgot to call him out.”

While a fight with O’Malley is out of the question at the moment, a showdown with Yan (or Font) makes a lot of sense. In addition, a rematch with Vera also makes sense, too, especially because the first fight had a controversial decision.

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