UFC Fight Night 252 Odds, Prediction: Henry Cejudo vs. Song Yadong
Henry Cejudo and Song Yadong are both looking to bounce back from losses, with each fighter coming off nearly a one-year absence.
Song is a -275 favourite to win on the MMA odds, while Cejudo is a +220 underdog.
Henry Cejudo UFC Fight Night 252 Odds
Things haven’t gone well for Cejudo since returning from a three-year absence. The 38-year-old American is a former two-division champion, simultaneously holding the bantamweight and flyweight belts, which he successfully defended multiple times. However, Cejudo vacated both titles after he announced his retirement in May 2020, a move most commentators suspected was a ploy he was using in contract negotiations.
“Triple C” returned in May 2023, failing in his bid to reclaim the bantamweight belt as he lost by split decision against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 288. Cejudo tried to get back into title contention by facing Merab Dvalishvili last February at UFC 298, but suffered another decision loss, this time unanimously.
Cejudo certainly has his work cut out from him on Saturday. He’ll be facing a fighter who is not only 11 years younger, but who also holds a four-inch height advantage and three-inch reach advantage. The one odd thing about Cejudo’s history, is that despite being an Olympic gold medallist wrestler, he has never won a fight by submission. You can expect him to stand up and trade blows with Song and with only one knockout loss on his record, I’m banking on this fight going the distance.
Song Yadong UFC Fight Night 252 Odds
Song may only be 27-years-old, but the Chinese standout has fought professionally since before his 16th birthday. In that time, he’s amassed a 21-8 record with one draw and one no contest. Song’s versatility is one of his biggest strengths as he’s claimed nine wins by knockout, nine by decision and three by submission.
“The Kung Fu Kid” is looking to bounce back from a unanimous decision loss against former bantamweight champion Petr Yan at UFC 299 last March. Had Song won that fight, he likely would have earned a shot at the bantamweight belt, currently held by Dvalishvili. A strong victory over Cejudo puts Song back in the running.
There has to be some concern for Song in this fight when you consider how much he has struggled against elite wrestlers since debuting in the UFC in 2017 and the fact he’s up against an Olympic champion. Still, I expect this to be a standup fight, which gives a major advantage to Song, who is younger and has a significant reach advantage. I think both fighters will come out swinging, but in the long run the edge has to go to Song.
UFC Fight Night 252 Prediction: Henry Cejudo vs. Song Yadong
The bantamweight division is notoriously unpredictable, so while I see a path for Cejudo to win, he’s a big underdog for a reason. This feels like a ‘passing of the torch’ type of fight and an opportunity for Song to take the next step to becoming a UFC champion.
