Song Yadong believes he could earn a bantamweight title shot with a win over Cory Sandhagen
Song Yadong thinks he could be one win away from fighting for UFC gold.
Yadong is set to headline UFC Vegas 60 – which serves as his first UFC main event when he takes on Cory Sandhagen. It’s a crucial fight for the bantamweight division and for Yadong, he believes if he finishes Sandhagen he could earn a title shot.
“I think if I finish Cory, I think I got the title fight. If not, one more. Just one more,” Yadong said at media day.
Although Song Yadong thinks he would get a bantamweight title shot if he finishes Sandhagen, many think the winner of Petr Yan vs. Sean O’Malley would be next in line, while Marlon Vera and Merab Dvalishvili are both right there. Yet, Yadong believes if he makes a statement he could very well leapfrog all of them.
However, in order for that to even happen, Yadong will need to beat Sandhagen which is easier said than done. Although Sandhagen has lost two fights in a row, they were to TJ Dillashaw and Petr Yan, so Yadong knows the American is still one of the best in the division.
“He lost two fights in a row, but he’s still dangerous,” Yadong said of Sandhagen. “He’s lost to top fighters. He’s still good.”
Song Yadong (19-6-1 and one No Contest) is riding a three-fight winning streak and coming off a KO win over Marlon Moraes back in March while before that, he TKO’d Julio Arce and beat Casey Kenney by split decision. His last loss was back at UFC 259 in March of 2021 as he dropped a decision to Kyler Phillips. In the UFC, the 24-year-old is 8-1-1 with notable wins over Marlon Vera, Alejandro Perez, and Vince Morales while also having a draw against Cody Stamann. He’s currently ranked 10th at bantamweight.
