UFC FIGHT NIGHT 223: Chris Gutierrez vs Song Yadong 12/09/2023 Fight Preview, Picks and Predictions

UFC FIGHT NIGHT 223: Gutierrez vs Song 12/09/2023 – Chris Gutierrez and Song Yadong seek to improve their rankings in the bantamweight category as they fight in a five-round clash on Saturday, December 9, at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fight is the featured bout of the UFC Fight Night 223 main card that will start at 10:00 PM ET. ESPN+ will air the matches live on television while UFC Fight Pass will cover the showdown via livestream. Both fighters are coming off wins in their last fights and a victory for either fighter will affect the rankings in the 135-pound category. Despite the almost equal statistics that the two protagonists bring into the fight, Song is seen as a slight favorite in opening MMA betting covers.

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Main Card

Chris Gutierrez

Gutierrez (20-5-2; 8-2-1 UFC) has been impressive in his stint in the UFC as he has won eight of his 11 fights in the promotion. Those victories, which included the impressive one-round knockout win over former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, have placed the American fighter in the bantamweight title picture. However, his unbeaten streak of eight fights (7 wins and 1 draw) was halted in April when he succumbed to Pedro Munhoz via unanimous decision. He made his comeback six months later and decisioned Alateng Heili for his 20th win. The fighter known as “El Guapo” has 10 stoppages in 20 of his wins (nine knockouts and one submission) and the rest were won via decision.

Gutierrez has fought in the UFC for an average of 12 minutes and seven seconds and has landed 5.04 strikes per minute at a 57% accuracy rate. His defense is excellent as he has stopped 65% of the strikes attempted against him. El Guapo has absorbed an average of 2.73 strikes per minute. In terms of grappling, the American has averaged 0.34 takedowns per 15 minutes at an accuracy rate of 37%. His takedown defense is 71% and his submission average is 0.1 per 15 minutes.

Song Yadong

Song (20-7-1, 1 NC; 9-2-1 UFC) has performed brilliantly in the UFC since debuting in November 2017. He has received six post-fight bonuses, including five Performance of the Night honors. The excellent performances lifted the Chinese fighter to No7 in the 135-pound category. In his last fight, Song demolished Ricky Simon in five rounds, eventually taking home the his fifth Performance of the Night Bonus. Song will fight for the seventh time in Sin City, where he has gone 4-2 in his last six bouts. The “Kung Fu Kid” has recorded 12 finishes in his 20 wins wherein nine of them were by knockout and three by submission.

Stats wise, the Chinese fighter has landed an average of 4.61 strikes per minute at a 42% accuracy rate. He has absorbed 3.77 strikes per minute and his defense percentage is 57%. In terms of grappling, Song has normed 0.53 takedowns per 15 minutes and his accuracy is 55%. He was able to stop 72% of the takedown attempts against him and his submission average is 0.2 submission attempts per 15 minutes.