Sean O’Malley Beats Song Yadong in Blockbuster Octagon Return – UFC 324 Highlights
Sean O’Malley snapped the first two-fight losing skid of his career, defeating Song Yadong in the UFC 324 co-main event.
O’Malley utilized teep kicks to keep Song at bay as the surging Chinese contender looked to put O’Malley away early with his power. With less than a minute left in the first, Song caught one of O’Malley’s kicks and used it as an opportunity to score the first takedown of the fight.
Song maintained top control through the remainder of the round, though it’s unclear if that was enough to steal the round away from his opponent.
Song delivered a much stronger round in the second, punishing O’Malley’s lead leg and scoring a takedown near the halfway point of the stanza. O’Malley eventually scrambled his way back up, but he was unable to offer anything in the way of offense, potentially sending us to the third with the fight deadlocked at 19-19.
O’Malley undoubtedly had his best round in the third as Song completely abandoned the calf kicks and opted to walk down his opponent. That played directly into O’Malley’s skill set as ‘Suga’ blasted Song with a series of solid counter strikes. With Song’s nose bleeding profusely, he attempted one final takedown, but O’Malley fended it off with ease.
As the seconds ran off the clock, O’Malley and Song stood and traded in the center of the Octagon, but neither hit the target, sending us to the scorecards for a decision.
Official Result: Sean O’Malley def. Song Yadong via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
