Song Yadong in action against Ricky Simon at UFC Vegas 72 (MMA Fighting)
UFC Vegas 72: Song vs. Simon: Take a look at the results and also the ones who received the bonus
April’s packed fight calendar came to a close on Saturday with the second event of the month at the UFC APEX, as 11 pairs of athletes across seven weight classes took the walk to the Octagon.
Saturday’s fight programme had something for everyone, from a pair of excellent bantamweights meeting in the main event to a slew of newcomers and rising hopefuls, and it kept the crowds in the arena and at home on the edge of their seats the whole afternoon and evening.
The main event of Saturday’s UFC APEX show, between Song Yadong and Ricky Simon, went an extra week and two rounds to ramp up the excitement.
After a cautious first round, the bantamweights stepped on the gas in the second, with Song emerging on top thanks to his superior speed and power and some savvy defensive grappling that helped him keep Simon at bay. In the finals, Song continued to effectively counter Simon and stifle his grappling attempts.
Song knocked Simon out with a dirty left hand at the end of the fourth round, and then he did it again at the beginning of the fifth round before pounding out the finish.
Song Yadong, at the young age of 25, is still one of the roster’s brightest young stars thanks to his impressive 9-2-1 record inside the Octagon and his confident, composed, and powerful bounce-back performance.
Caio Borralho maintained his perfect record inside the Octagon with a second-round submission victory over Michal Oleksiejczuk in the co-main event.
The DWCS grad had to stand with the Polish striker after his first three takedown attempts were thwarted. But Borralho quickly placed Oleksiejczuk on the ground in the second after putting him there late in the first, quickly gaining three-quarter mount, then switching to Oleksiejczuk’s back and sinking in a rear-naked choke.
Borralho is now undefeated in his previous 14 fights and has won 11 in a row in the UFC. He has won his last four UFC debuts. It seems likely that “The Natural” will be promoted to a higher level of competition in the middleweight division in his next outing.
In another featured bout, Rodolfo Vieira was close to being finished in the first round, but the Brazilian jiu jitsu world champion fought through it and finished the match himself in the second.
While the Brazilian was looking for a half-guard sweep, Cody Brundage floored him with a clean right hand to the chin midway through the first round. After recovering, Vieira continued on the offensive, ultimately putting Brundage to sleep in the first. Brundage, representing Factory X, tapped on the second attempt of a guillotine choke early in the second round as Vieira popped his head out and promptly executed an arm-triangle choke.
Vieira, who had just suffered a submission loss to Anthony Hernandez, earned a heartfelt and dramatic victory here. The 33-year-old improved to 4-2 in the UFC and 9-2 overall, while the 24-year-old Brundage lost for the second time in a row and dropped to 2-4 in the UFC.
After much anticipation, Fernando Padilla finally made his UFC debut, and he didn’t disappoint, finishing Julian Erosa in the first round with a flurry of crisp, clean punches.
From the opening bell, the two almost identical men stood in the pocket and appeared to exchange, each landing a couple clean shots before Padilla cracked Erosa with a right hand that staggered him. Quick and accurate retaliation caused Erosa to falter and look like he was leaving, but he quickly recovered. Referee Chris Tognoni stepped in as more blows were exchanged to call a halt to the fight.
Padilla, who hadn’t fought since May 2021, finished Erosa on Saturday to extend his winning streak to three and his win streak overall to five. The Mexican featherweight finally had his moment to shine on Saturday.
Performance of the Night: Song Yadong
Performance of the Night: Caio Borralho
Performance of the Night: Rodolfo Vieira
Performance of the Night: Marcus McGhee
More MMA news
Follow our dedicated MMA page for instant MMA news and update