Song Yadong, Sergei Pavlovich post impressive wins at UFC Macau

          • Jeff WagenheimMay 30, 2026, 10:06 AM ET

          Song Yadong defeated his second former UFC champion in 15 months on Saturday, submitting Deiveson Figueiredo in the second round of a meeting of top-10 bantamweights at UFC Fight Night in Macau, China.

          Fighting in his home country for the first time since 2018, Song (23-9-1, 1 NC) started off tentatively against the powerful Figueiredo, a two-time former UFC men's flyweight champion. Neither fighter reached double figures in significant strikes in the opening five minutes, and Figueiredo went 0-for-2 on takedown attempts.

          The action picked up a bit in Round 2, with Song stalking his opponent and landing the occasional punch or kick. When Figueiredo countered a lower leg kick late in the round with a takedown attempt, Song clamped on a guillotine choke to instantly elicit a tapout at 4 minutes, 42 seconds.

          "Team Alpha male has the best BJJ in the world," Song said through an interpreter, referring to the Brazilian jiu-jitsu finish. "I had the submission skills."

          The seventh-ranked Figueiredo (25-7-1), 38, has lost four of his past five fights after winning three in a row upon moving to bantamweight.

          It was the fourth straight fight against a former champ for Song, 28, who is ranked No. 6 at bantamweight by ESPN. He previously defeated Henry Cejudo and lost to Sean O'Malley and Petr Yan. But the most significant aspect of this outing for Song was once again fighting in China, the setting for 18 of his first 20 career fights.

          "It has been eight years for me to wait for this moment," Song said.

          He continued to soak in the moment and the crowd adulation even after he was asked whom in the top 10 he wants to fight next.

          "I don't give f---," Song said, speaking English this time and drawing a roar from the fans. "I take whoever UFC give me. Let's go!"

          Earlier on the card, Sergei Pavlovich, the No. 5 heavyweight in ESPN's rankings, made quick work of Tallison Teixeira for his third straight victory. In the opening seconds, Pavlovich (21-3) connected with three straight overhand right hands that flattened Teixeira (9-2) in 39 seconds.

          Pavlovich, who fought for an interim title in 2023 but lost to Tom Aspinall, called for another shot at the belt Ciryl Gane and Alex Pereira will fight for in two weeks.

          "It doesn't matter to me who wins," Pavlovich said through an interpreter. "I want to get the winner. I work hard. I work every single day. I want the belt."

          Teixeira has lost two of his past three fights after an 8-0 start to his career.