UFC Fight Night 252: Cejudo vs. Song
Former two-weight champion Henry Cejudo faces Song Yadong in Seattle this weekend in this crossroads fight in the Bantamweight division.
The co-main event sees top-15 ranked Middleweights Brendan Allen and Anthony Hernandez renew hostilities in a rematch from their days on the regional scene.
The rest of the main card sees the likes of veteran Rob Font face Jean Matsumoto and the exciting Jean Silva take on Melsik Baghdasaryan in what looks to be a fun match-up.
Tip 1 - Henry Cejudo to win - 9/4
It’s a last chance for former Bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo (16-4-0) to get back into title contention here as he faces the exciting Song Yadong (21-8-1, 1 NC).
Cejudo has held both the Flyweight and Bantamweight titles, winning the 135lb belt in 2019 with a third-round TKO of Marlon Moraes.
The 38-year-old made one successful defence with a TKO win over Dominick Cruz before relinquishing the title and retiring from the sport.
On his eventual return, Cejudo lost a close split decision to then champion Aljamain Sterling in 2023, before losing a number one contender fight to Merab Dvalishvili last February.
The defeat to Dvalishvili, who went on to win the title last September, has left Cejudo ranked at number seven in the division and vulnerable to gatekeeper status.
Song will be hoping an impressive win over a former champion can finally see him knocking on the door of the top five of this ultra competitive division.
The Chinese star was last seen in March 2024, losing via unanimous decision to former champion Petr Yan.
Song has notable wins over Chris Gutierrez, Ricky Simón, Marlon Moraes and Marlon Vera on his CV but defeats to the likes of Yan and Cory Sandhagen in 2022 have denied him breakthrough moments.
Still only 27 years old, Song is experienced with over 30 pro MMA fights, including 14 in the UFC.
Cejudo is a former Olympic Wrestling Gold Medalist, gaining an extremely successful transition to MMA.
Both are coming off losses here and it is truly a pick’em between the top-level experience and wrestling credentials of Cejudo against the striking and technical ability of the younger fighter in Song.
Song was outworked by Petr Yan over three rounds on his latest step up to the elite level of the division and at the prices it could be worth siding with the former champion Cejudo.
Tip 2 - Anthony Hernandez to win & over 1.5 rounds - 13/25
The co-main event sees a rematch between Brendan Allen (24-6-0) and Anthony Hernandez (13-2-0, 1 NC).
The pair first met in their pre-UFC LFA days, with Hernandez winning a five-round battle by unanimous decision for the Vacant Middleweight Championship.
Fast forward to 2025 and it is Allen that holds the higher ranking in the UFC, currently sitting at number nine in the division.
The American was last seen losing to Nassourdine Imavov over three rounds last September, a defeat which has aged well following the Frenchman’s recent knockout of former champion Israel Adesanya.
Prior to the Imavov defeat, Allen had racked up a seven-fight win streak with victories over the likes of Chris Curtis, Paul Craig, Bruno Silva and André Muniz.
The fight with Curtis was also a rematch, with the 29-year-old avenging his last loss back in 2021 with a decision win in April 2024.
Hernandez is in good form, riding a six-fight win streak and comes into this on the back of a fifth-round finish of Michel Pereira in October.
The 31-year-old put in a dominant performance against the Brazilian, grinding out a finish with a grappling-heavy approach.
Hernandez has seen five of his six recent wins come within the distance, with three TKO’s and two submissions, against fighters such as Roman Kopylov, Edmen Shahbazyan, Marc-André Barriault and Rodolfo Vieira.
Allen also has good grappling skills but Hernandez looks hard to stop in this form and can outwork him in what looks set to be a close fight.
Tip 3 - Rob Font to win - 13/10
Veteran Rob Font (21-8-0) takes on late-notice opponent Jean Matsumoto (16-0-0) after original opponent Dominick Cruz retired after suffering an injury in training camp.
Font has been a staple of the Bantamweight division for some time, possessing an 11-7 UFC record.
The 37-year-old was last seen in October winning a unanimous decision against Kyler Phillips, when - after a strong first round for his opponent - Font was able to grind out the win.
That victory stopped a run of back-to-back losses against Deiveson Figueiredo and Cory Sandhagen.
Font also has wins over the likes of Adrian Yanez (TKO), Cody Garbrandt (DEC), Marlon Moraes (TKO) and Ricky Simón (DEC).
Matsumoto is unbeaten in his career so far and is 2-0 in the UFC.
The Brazilian went three rounds with Brad Katona in October, while he submitted Dan Argueta on his debut in April.
The 25-year-old was in training camp to face Chris Gutierrez at UFC 313 on March 8 so doesn’t come into this “off the couch”.
Font has great boxing skills and defended his position by outworking a strong-looking Phillips last time out.
Matsumoto is a good prospect but Font is still at a level where he is only losing to the elite of the division and as an underdog is a good price to get his 12th UFC victory.
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Odds correct at time of publication but subject to change