Headling the final UFC Fight Night of 2023 was a high-stakes bantamweight clash between Chris Gutierrez and Song Yadong.
Both fighters stepped inside The APEX in Las Vegas looking to build on their prior wins and go into 2024 with back-to-back victories. Gutierrez is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Alatengheili in October while Song’s last appearance produced a solid fifth-round knockout against Ricky Simon in August.
Things started relatively slow between the two 135’ers, with both looking to attack the lead leg early. Throughout the contest, Song maintained control of the Octagon and dictated the pace, but things remained fairly even until we entered the later rounds.
In the fourth, Song Yadong managed to catch a leg kick from Gutierrez and sweep his other leg out from under him, quickly getting top control for the first time in the fight. Song was content to keep the dominant position for the remainder of the round.
As we went into the fifth, Gutierrez decided to go for a Hail Mary leg lock, but Song saw it coming a mile away and quickly got back into top control. Gutierrez tried his best to move back toward the cage wall, but Song managed to keep him pinned to the ground, peppering him with hammer fits until the final horn sounded.
Official Result: Song Yadong def. Chris Gutierrez via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-44, 50-45)
Check Out Highlights From Song Yadong vs. Chris Gutierrez at UFC Vegas 83 Below:
Song Yadong vs. Petr Yan?
@SongYadongLFG has his eyes on the former 135lbs champ! #UFCVegas83 pic.twitter.com/dlvJwr3lqG
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) December 10, 2023
