UFC bantamweight contender Song Yadong issued a statement following his second-round submission win in the UFC Macau main event.

The Chinese native Song entered his headlining bout against the Brazilian Deiveson Figueiredo as a big betting favorite, and he made good on the odds by picking up a stoppage victory in the second round, earning his first submission win since his UFC debut back in 2017.

With the win, the 28-year-old Song defended his No. 5 ranking in the UFC bantamweight division, which sets him up for another big fight his next time out.

Song Yadong Releases Statement After UFC Macau Victory

Taking to his social media after beating Figueiredo in the main event of UFC Macau, Song expressed gratitude for picking up such a big win over a former UFC champion in front of his fans in China.

“The happiest moment was winning the fight in my hometown. Thank you to my friends, coaches, and teammates. Without your help, today’s victory would not have been possible,” Song wrote on his Instagram.

What’s Next for Song Yadong?

It will certainly be interesting to see who the UFC matchmakers decide to match Song up with in his next fight. Despite only being 28 years old, Song has been in the UFC for nearly a decade, and he has already fought many of the top bantamweights in the sport. But there are still some fresh matchups for him in the weight class.

UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan is currently sidelined as he’s recovering from back surgery, but former champ Merab Dvalishvili said he will be fighting him in a trilogy bout next. So, that fight has to happen first sometime later this year, and then, presumably, the winner of Sean O’Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi on the upcoming UFC White House card will get the next title shot against the winner of Yan vs. Dvalishvili 3.

Looking at the UFC bantamweight rankings right now, one potential option for Song is a matchup against No. 2-ranked Umar Nurmagomedov. These two have never fought before, and with Nurmagomedov currently unbooked, it’s a fight that certainly makes a lot of sense, especially since they are both coming off a win over the same opponent in Figueiredo.

Other top-10-ranked fighters whom Song hasn’t competed against yet include the aforementioned Zahabi, Mario Bautista, and David Martinez. The French-Canadian native Zahabi takes on former Song opponent O’Malley at UFC Freedom 250 next month, while Bautista battles Cory Sandhagen — another former opponent of Song — at UFC 329 in July. As for Martinez, that’s another potential fresh matchup for Song, but given he is ranked at No. 9, Song likely wouldn’t want to fight that far down the rankings after such an impressive win over Figueiredo.

Regardless of who Song fights next, he is in a great spot right now after finishing Figueiredo. Although the former UFC flyweight champ is 38 and on the decline, he is still extremely difficult to finish, so the fact that Song stopped him by submission is incredibly impressive. It’s the type of win that should absolutely earn him a top-five opponent when he next steps into the Octagon, with Nurmagomedov being the top potential available option.