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#2. Song Yadong vs. Cody Stamann (Bantamweight)
The spotlight stayed on the cutthroat 135-pound division as Song Yadong and Cody Stamann looked to make a major statement in a weight class that provided a very small margin for error.
Yadong was on a 7-fight win streak while his opponent, the #9 ranked Bantamweight in the UFC, Stamann had just lost once in his last 12 fights.
Round 1: It was a conservative start as both fighters tried to read each other's movements. Yadong drew first blood with an incoming four-piece combo. Yadong looked fancy with a spinning wheel kick.
Stamann changed levels and took Yadong down against the fence. Yadong waited and trapped Stamann in a front face lock. He landed a knee that was deemed illegal, for which Yadong was penalized and a point was taken away from him.
The Chinese fighter got right back to business by pressing his opponent. They exchanged body kicks with Yadong shooting for the takedown. Stamann had a good opportunity to get the round in his favour by showing some intent. Yadong stretched his arms for a big right but Cody ducked his head and grabbed onto Yadong's left leg. The Spartan kept Yadong down for a few seconds until the end of the round.
Round 2: Yadong landed over the top to begin the round. Cody went for the double leg, however, Yadong athletically sprawled to stuff the attempt. They got back up and Stamann got in a combination on the break.
Stamann tried to keep Yadong away with the oblique kick to the body. Yadong landed a lovely combination that demonstrated his range of using angles. A clinch ensued against the cage with a good elbow from Stamann. Stamann scored a nice takedown but Yadong transitioned well and scrambled his way to his feet.
Yadong landed the jabs and straight rights. Cody, however, landed another takedown and worked on Yadong in side control.
He moved to half guard but Yadong swept and reversed the position to get on top of his opponent.
Yadong landed a big elbow from the top but Stamann laughed it off. Stamann landed shots from his back as the second round came to an end.
Round 3: Cody bounced around as Yadong came in for the low leg kicks. The Chinese fighter needed a knockout due to the illegal knee while Stamann wanted to take the fight down to the mat.
He did exactly that by getting another takedown. Yadong briefly contemplated taking his knee while on his back but Stamann maintained his position and assumed top control.
They sprawled a bit with Stamann getting in the guillotine, before landing on top of Yadong after another transition. He landed shots to the body from side control.
Stamann enjoyed a lot of top position time in the third round and Yadong could see the fight slip from his grips with each passing second.
Cody landed a few strikes from the top as Yadong looked helpless. The Chinese Bantamweight gave up his back in the final 40 seconds of the fight. However, he Stamann got back on top and landed some big palm strikes. Cody was gunning for a finish with big hammer fists and elbows but Yadong survived until the sound of the hooter.
Result: Cody Stamann vs. Song Yadong ended in a majority draw (29-28, 28-28, 28-28)
That made absolutely no sense! Irrespective of the illegal blow from Yadong, Stamann clearly won the fight by showing his grappling superiority. The judges surely got this one wrong.
