MMA fighter Song Yadong put on one hell of a show at UFC Vegas 60 today, although the rising Chinese star ultimately fell to opponent Cory ‘The Sandman’ Sandhagen after four rounds. A medical professional called the bout due to a nasty gash Song received above his left eye in the second round.

The fight was Song’s first UFC main event.

The first five minutes of the bantamweight bout started pretty evenly, with both fighters trading a near-even number of total strikes. Partway through the second round, Song suffered an elbow to his left eyebrow, sending a stream of blood down his face.

Despite the injury, the fight lasted for two more high-intensity rounds before a doctor’s stoppage was issued moments ahead of the final five minutes of fist-flinging.

According to fight stats from the UFC, Song ‘The Kung Fu Kid’ and ‘The Sandman’ Sandhagen each landed 130 strikes, while Song had two takedowns to Sandhagen’s one.

When it comes to significant strikes, Sandhagen tallied 94 to Song’s 54.

Following his loss by TKO today at UFC Vegas 60 (alternatively promoted as UFC Fight Night 210), Song’s record stands at 19-7-1, while Sandhagen’s count climbs to 15-4-0.

Six years younger than Sandhagen, Song stepped into the Octagon at UFC Vegas 60 as the 10th-ranked fighter in the bantamweight division and the +162 underdog, while bookies assessed his opponent (fourth-ranked in the division) as the -188 favorite to win, according to Vegas Insider.

Despite the rankings difference and lopsided betting odds, Song — who fights out of UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber’s Team Alpha Male — came into the bout riding an impressive three-fight win streak.

And while that momentum wasn’t enough to secure a victory against Sandhagen, after Song’s powerful performance in Vegas today, we expect to see the 24-year-old Northeast China native back in the Octagon in the not-so-distant future.

Hungry to learn more about China’s burgeoning MMA scene? Then check out our Way of the Warrior series:

Cover image: screengrab via CCTV