Celebrating the prowess of two undefeated Asian prospects, Tatsuro Taira from Japan and Hyunsung Park from South Korea, UFC Fight Night: SONG vs GUTIERREZ showcased spectacular second-round TKO victories for both fighters. Adding to the excitement, 26-year-old #7 bantamweight contender Song Yadong demonstrated his maturity in the main event, putting on a clinic against Chris Gutierrez at UFC APEX in Las Vegas on Sunday, December 10.
Song Yadong wins the main event
In a gruelling five-round bout, China's Song Yadong faced off against the #15-ranked Chris Gutierrez. Displaying experience and versatility, Song controlled the pace from start to finish, leaving Gutierrez unable to mount a successful offense despite maintaining distance. After the unanimous decision was announced, Song expressed gratitude to Gutierrez for accepting the fight and extended a challenge to Petr Yan, stating, "I'm coming for the belt. Next one: Petr (Yan), sign the contract. Tomorrow I'm going back to train. To Chinese fans, I'm sorry I didn't knock him out. This guy controlled the distance very well, I learned a lot from this fight."
Rountree calls for Alex Pereira
In the co-main event, a late replacement saw the #8-ranked light heavyweight Anthony Smith facing off against the #11-ranked Khalil Rountree. With both fighters eyeing future title contention, Rountree's striking proved to be decisive. After two thunderous rounds, Rountree wobbled and dropped Smith, securing a third-round referee stoppage. Reflecting on his victory, Rountree stated, "This is what I've been working for. In my mind, it's time to have a champion at home. I'm in the top ten now, and the only thing I want to do is fight Alex Pereira."
UFC Vegas 83 Results
AWARDS
- Performance Of The Night: HyunSung Park
- Performance Of The Night: Tim Elliott
- Performance Of The Night: Nasrat Haqparast
- Performance Of The Night: Khalil Rountree Jr.
OFFICIAL RESULTS
MAIN EVENT
- Song Yadong defeats Chris Gutierrez by unanimous decision (50-44, 50-45, 50-45)
CO-MAIN EVENT
- Khalil Rountree Jr. defeats Anthony Smith by TKO (strikes) at 0:56 of Round 3
MAIN CARD
- Nasrat Haqparast defeats Jamie Mullarkey by TKO (strikes) at 1:44 of Round 1
- Tim Elliott defeats Sumudaerji by technical submission (arm-triangle choke) at 4:02 of Round 1
- Andre Muniz defeats Junyong Park by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
PRELIMS
- Kevin Jousset defeats Song Kenan by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- HyunSung Park defeats Shannon Ross by TKO (liver shot) at 3:59 of Round 2
- Steve Garcia defeats Melquizael Costa by TKO (strikes) at 1:01 of Round 2
- Luana Santos defeats Stephanie Egger by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Tatsuro Taira defeats Carlos Hernandez by TKO (strikes) at 0:55 of Round 2
- Talita Alencar (29-28, 29-28) defeats Rayanne Amanda (29-28) by split decision
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