A pair of rising UFC contenders delivered big performances at the UFC Apex as Song Yadong and Khalil Rountree made great strides in their respective weight classes at UFC Vegas 83 on Saturday night.
Song produced a dominant performance to defeat Chris Gutierrez over the five-round main event duration, winning every round on all three scorecards to record a shutout victory with scores of 50-44, 50-45, 50-45.
The Chinese bantamweight was originally due to compete on home soil in Shanghai, but the Team Alpha Male-trained fighter put the disappointment behind him to take advantage of his main event showcase as he outclassed Gutierrez, then called for a fight with former 135-pound champion Petr Yan next.
If Song's performance in the headline matchup was dominant, light heavyweight Khalil Rountre Jr's appearance showcased a different kind of fighting quality. Rountree blasted past former title challenger Anthony Smith in the third round of their co-main event clash to extend his win streak to five.
Rountree's previous stoppage victories had all come inside two rounds, but his third-round finish of the durable Smith proved that the Syndicate MMA fighter can carry his fight-finishing power all the way to the latter stages of a fight.
Rountree's victory looks set to propel him towards the division's elite, and after the fight he staked a claim for a shot at current 205-pound champion, Alex Pereira.
Also on the main card, there were notable inside-the-distance wins for Nasrat Haqparast and Tim Elliott, who picked up first-round wins via TKO and submission, respectively, while in the main card opener, Andre Muniz snapped a two-fight skid with a split-decision victory over the man known as "The Iron Turtle," South Korea's Park Jun-Yong.
UFC Vegas 83: Official results
MAIN CARD
- Song Yadong def. Chris Gutierrez via unanimous decision (50-44, 50-45, 50-45)
- Khalil Rountree Jr def. Anthony Smith via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 0:56
- Nasrat Haqparast def. Jamie Mullarkey via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:44
- Tim Elliott def. Su Mudaerji via technical submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 1, 4:02
- Andre Muniz def. Park Jun-Yong via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Kevin Jousset def. Song Kenan via unanimous decision (30-27 30-27, 30-27)
- Park Hyun-Sung def. Shannon Ross via TKO (knee and punches) – Round 2, 3:59
- Steve Garcia def. Melquizael Costa via knockout (elbows) – Round 2, 1:01
- Luana Santos def. Stephanie Egger via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Tatsuro Taira def. Carlos Hernandez via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 0:55
- Talita Alencar def. Rayanne dos Santos via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
