Chinese mixed martial artist Song Yadong delivered a stellar performance yesterday at UFC Vegas 42, ending his bantamweight bout with American Julio Arce (17-5-0) in the second round via TKO.

The win sees Song’s record in the UFC climb to 7-1-1 and his MMA record climb to 18-5-1.

Another highlight for the reel, my GOODNESS!!! 🎥@SongYadongMMA backing up the hype!

[ #UFCVegas42 | Main Card is LIVE on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/kNmDInPCuN

— UFC (@ufc) November 13, 2021

Throughout the first round, both fighters appeared evenly matched. Though, Song, who hails from Northeast China, seemed to have a slight offensive edge while demonstrating his fast footwork, calculated precision, and powerful punches.

An aggressive Arce came out swinging in round two, and for a short time, the fight seemed more evenly matched — until Arce was caught with a well-placed head kick and flurry of punches at one minute and 35 seconds into the second round.

Just want to thank all the fans for the support and cheers. Houston is hype. Also thank you to my team, family, & my country 🇨🇳 #UFC265 pic.twitter.com/JJGcIijsHC

— Song YaDong (@SongYaDongMMA) August 8, 2021

China’s MMA fans, who have witnessed several disappointing outcomes over the past couple of weeks, are celebrating the victory.

“Go, Song Yadong! Go Chinese power,” wrote one Chinese netizen in the aftermath of Song’s win. Another wrote, “Song Yadong is impressive. The Chinese team has been on a losing streak, but he has broken the streak!”

Song’s win came a week to the day after former UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Zhang Weili lost her rematch with American Rose Namajunas at UFC 268 on November 6 in New York City.

And just days ahead of Zhang’s loss at Madison Square Garden, two of the three Chinese fighters featured in the final episode of Dana White’s Contender Series Season 5 were passed over for contracts with the UFC.

Though, we’re happy to note that Chinese lightweight Maheshate (6-1-0) defeated Achilles Estremadura (7-1-0) by unanimous decision during the MMA show and was honored with a contact from UFC boss Dana White.

Dana White’s Contender Series Season 5

For more lit content exploring the rise of MMA in China, check out our Way of the Warrior series.

Cover image via UFC