Song Yadong issues statement following TKO loss to Cory Sandhagen at UFC Vegas 60

Song Yadong has spoken out following his TKO defeat to Cory Sandhagen.

Yadong and Sandhagen shared the Octagon inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The bantamweight collision headlined UFC Vegas 60 on September 17.

This one did not go the distance as Sandhagen opened up a gnarly gash that sliced through Yadong’s eyebrow. The cut came courtesy of an elbow. Before the fifth round could begin, the doctor took a good look at Yadong’s cut and he had seen enough. Sandhagen was awarded the fourth-round TKO finish via doctor’s stoppage.

After the fight, Yadong hopped on Twitter to briefly discuss the loss and he praised Sandhagen.

So basically couldn’t see anything after the cut. Props to @corysandhagen land that elbow. It wasn’t my night but a good fight. I will be back soon. @ufc #UFCVegas60

— Song Yadong (@SongYadongLFG) September 18, 2022

“So basically couldn’t see anything after the cut. Props to @corysandhagen land that elbow. It wasn’t my night but a good fight. I will be back soon. @ufc #UFCVegas60.”

The loss to Sandhagen has snapped Yadong’s three-fight winning streak. He hadn’t lost a fight since March 2021. Going into the fight, Yadong was the number 10-ranked UFC bantamweight, while Sandhagen had a hold of the number four spot. While Yadong couldn’t pull off a huge win and catapult himself up the rankings, the 24-year-old has plenty of time on his side.

As for Sandhagen, he’s looking for fights that’ll get him back in title contention. He called for fights against Marlon Vera and Merab Dvalishvili after defeating Yadong. Sandhagen is ranked one spot higher than “Chito” Vera, but is one spot below Dvalishvili.

Sandhagen has competed for UFC gold once. He fought Petr Yan for the interim UFC Bantamweight Championship back in October 2021. Yan won the fight via unanimous decision. The bout with Yadong was Sandhagen’s first fight since falling short in the interim title match.