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Bantamweights

#14 | Yadong Song (16-4-1, 5-0-1 UFC) vs. NR | Kyler Phillips (8-1, 2-0 UFC)

ODDS: Song (-135), Phillips (+115)

China is an oncoming force in the UFC. Strawweight champion Weili Zhang obviously leads the way for Chinese talent inside the Octagon, but Song might be the best hope to bring China some UFC gold on the male side. Song reportedly lied about his age early in his career in order to get fights, but even if he is older than his stated 23 years of age, he is still a prospect to watch thanks to his brutal and precise striking. His July 2019 knockout of Alejandro Perez remains underrated in its brutality, and that win set up Song to get fast-tracked towards contender status. He has since gotten two tough tests against Cody Stamann and Marlon Vera, both of which he passed—sort of. The fight with Stamann was ruled a draw and Song walked away with the victory against Vera, but public consensus seems to be that he should have lost both fights. No matter what the results, it is still a bit of a surprise to see Song get an obvious step back here against Phillips. That is not a knock against Phillips, who is a talented prospect in his own right, but the UFC appears to be doing him a disservice, as wins over Gabriel Silva and Cameron Else have probably done little to prepare him for an opponent like Song. “Matrix” comes from a martial arts background that obviously comes through in a bouncy and flowy striking game, and he has looked solid thus far when his fights have gone to the mat. While he is still obviously raw, there is a lot of smart decision making on display that suggests Phillips will eventually succeed at a high level. From an overall style matchup, there are some aspects that make this interesting. Song has obviously flagged late against opponents he cannot knock out quickly, and Phillips figures to be elusive and has looked durable to date in his UFC career. However, Phillips is not a defensive wizard and figures to get shocked by Song to a level that his previous opponents have not been able to bring. The pick is Song via first-round knockout.

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