Henry Cejudo vs Song Yadong Predictions, Picks & Odds

Henry Cejudo faces off against Song Yadong in the main event for UFC Fight Night betting tonight.

Although Cejudo is a former two-division champ, he's now 38 years old, and I'm fading him in the latest UFC odds.

Here are my best free UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs. Song predictions for Saturday, February 22 from Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.

Cejudo vs Song prediction and best bet

• My fight prediction
  Song moneyline (-275 at BET99)
  
  
• My best bet
  Song by decision (+130 at BET99)

Fight analysis
Song Yadong is 5-2 in his last seven fights and is currently the No. 8 ranked bantamweight contender. He's also just 27 years old, making him more than a decade younger than Cejudo. Not only is there a dropoff for fighters after the age of 35, but that decline tends to be even steeper in the lower weight classes where speed is paramount. 

Henry Cejudo came back from a three-year hiatus in 2023 to lose a competitive split decision against former champ Aljamain Sterling. In his most recent outing, he faced current champ Merab Dvalishvili last February and lost by unanimous decision. 

While there's no shame in losing competitive decisions to fighters of that caliber, Cejudo showed a decline in some key areas that will prove problematic in this matchup. He struggled with Sterling's size and missed a lot of his punches due to a seven-inch reach disadvantage.

He also looked slow against Dvalishvili and it's clear that isn't the explosive athlete that he was in his prime. Song is also significantly taller and rangier than Cejudo, while his fast hands and slick movement will give Cejudo fits. 

Despite his background as a gold medal Olympic wrestler, Cejudo isn't an overpowering grappler who spams takedowns or mauls opponents on the mat. Song should be able to keep things standing up, where he can rely on his speed and superior boxing to piece Cejudo up. 

Best bet analysis
While Song has good power for a bantamweight, his finishing ability is a bit overrated. He has only three stoppage wins in his last 10 fights: against the mediocre Julio Arce, a washed-up and chinny Marlon Moraes, and Ricky Simon.

Simon is the only ranked fighter that Song has ever finished, and he still made it to the fifth round despite being a terrible striker. Cejudo hasn't taken much punishment in his career and he has only been knocked down once — way back in 2016 against the flyweight GOAT Demetrious Johnson. 

Cejudo will also likely use a wrestling-heavy game plan to try and stifle Song's offense, which will drain time off the clock. 

Henry Cejudo vs Song Yadong odds

Method of Victory	Cejudo	Song
To win outright	+220	-270
To win by KO/TKO	+800	+215
To win by decision	+380	+130
To win by submission	+2700	+1250
Draw	+2500	+2500

Odds as of 2-22.

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Henry Cejudo vs Song Yadong tale of the tape

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