Henry Cejudo Defends RAF Title Against Song Yadong in Chicago Rematch
The former UFC double champ gets his rematch with Song Yadong, this time under wrestling rules at RAF 15.
Henry Cejudo finally gets the do-over he has been chasing. The former UFC bantamweight and flyweight champion will defend his Real American Freestyle Lightweight Crossover Championship against No. 2-ranked UFC bantamweight Song Yadong in the main event of RAF 15 on November 28 at NOW Arena in Chicago. Fox Nation will carry the card, per MMA Sucka.
The two first met at a UFC Fight Night in Seattle in February 2025, a bantamweight main event that went the full 15 minutes before ending controversially. An accidental eye poke left Cejudo unable to see out of his left eye after the third round, and Song won by technical decision with scores of 29-28, 29-28, and 30-27. Song outlanded Cejudo 84-67 in significant strikes while Cejudo went 0-for-3 on takedown attempts. Both fighters called for a rematch afterward.
Cejudo, a 2008 Olympic gold medalist in wrestling, retired from MMA after a loss to Payton Talbott at UFC 323 but found new life in RAF. He lost his RAF debut 11-8 to Merab Dvalishvili after blowing an 8-0 lead, then pinned Dvalishvili in 36 seconds at RAF 12 to win the inaugural title.
Song, 28, has been on a tear. He beat Deiveson Figueiredo in May and knocked out Umar Nurmagomedov in the second round in August as a heavy underdog. His MMA record stands at 24-9-1 with one no contest.
Cejudo has been vocal about wanting this one. "So, Song Yadong, I got a message for you, coward," Cejudo told media. "Answer the call and sign the damn contract."
This is exactly the kind of crossover booking that makes RAF interesting. You have a 39-year-old Olympic gold medalist who cannot hang with the UFC's elite anymore but can still wrestle with anybody on the planet, against a Top 3 bantamweight who has been knocking out killers all year.
The wrinkle is the ruleset. Song's striking advantage disappears under wrestling rules, and Cejudo's Olympic pedigree actually matters here. But Song is a legitimate wrestler in his own right, and he is younger, stronger, and riding ridiculous momentum after flatlining Umar Nurmagomedov.
I think Cejudo wins this on points. Wrestling is his world, and he still has the craft even if the speed has slipped. NOW Arena in Chicago on the day after Thanksgiving is a fun setting for it. Good booking by RAF.
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