MMAOB staff writer Adam Martin takes a deeper look at the main event of UFC Vegas 60, a five-round bantamweight bout between Cory Sandhagen and Song Yadong. The event takes place on Saturday, September 17 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Cory Sandhagen (-200)
Sandhagen (14-4) is the No. 4 ranked UFC bantamweight. The 30-year-old American is 7-3 overall in the UFC, with notable wins over Frankie Edgar, Marlon Moraes, and Raphael Assuncao. He has five finishes in those fights, and he’s done so via stoppage on the ground and on the feet. In his last two fights, Sandhagen lost competitive decisions to Petr Yan and TJ Dillashaw, showing he’s an elite fighter in his weight class. A wing over Song and Sandhagen will be right back in the title hunt. Sandhagen is the favorite here, but this fight against Song won’t be a complete walk in the park.
Song Yadong (+170)
Song (19-6-1) is the No. 10 ranked UFC bantamweight. The 25-year-old Chinese fighter is 8-1-1 overall in the UFC, with notable wins over Marlon Vera, Marlon Moraes, and Casey Kenney. Song has fought a solid level of opposition throughout his UFC career and he’s performed well for the most part. He’s shown he can strike on the feet and knock his opponent out, and his grappling is solid as well. Overall he is a very good, young fighter who could come out here and surprise us with a win over Sandhagen. The odds are against Song, but we do know that young fighters improve at a rapid rate. Still, Sandhagen is the favorite due to his recent level of competition.
Fight Breakdown: Both these guys are great fighters and this should be an incredible fight. I’ve been saying for a while that bantamweight is one of the UFC’s top weight classes, and skilled fights like this one are exactly why. Sandhagen has lost his last two fights, but those losses came against elite competition. Song has looked great lately too, but against non-elite opponents. Sandhagen and Song have both proven they are winners throughout their UFC careers, so this is a close fight to call. Ultimately, I think the experience of fighting in five-round fights against championship-level competition is going to help Sandhagen to victory here. I see a competitive fight here between two talented fighters, but ultimately I see Sandhagen edging out the fight with a win on the scorecards. That being said, it’s a close fight, and Song does offer some potential upside here.
Prediction: Cory Sandhagen
