SEATTLE — It’s been a dozen years since UFC touched down in the “Evergreen State” of Washington, but Saturday night the promotion returns with some notable names for UFC Seattle. Former two-division champion Henry Cejudo returns in the main event hoping to avoid three consecutive losses when he meets China’s Song Yadong. A 27-year-old striking dynamo, Song also looks to rebound after last fighting to a unanimous decision setback at the hands of former champion Petr Yan in March 2024.
The swan song of all-time great and former two-time UFC champion Dominick Cruz was initially set to serve as the night’s co-headliner, however Cruz’s injury and subsequent retirement led to the event’s new co-main, a rematch between middleweight contenders Brendan Allen and Anthony Hernandez.
Let’s break down the UFC Seattle main card and see who comes out on top.
Betting odds courtesy of BetMGM.
135 pounds: Henry Cejudo (+220) vs. Song Yadong (-275)
The more and more I’ve thought about Cejudo vs. Song, the more excited I am for it.
It’s a weird discussion regarding the placement of Cejudo’s all-time status. At his height, I believed there was a good enough case to say he was among the five best ever to do it. However, the easy counter is that his success came quickly and didn’t last long enough.
Cejudo, 38, retired as champion in May 2020 and returned three years later to lose a hard-fought split decision against the then-champion Aljamain Sterling. A unanimous decision loss to the now-champion Merab Dvalishvili later, and he still has yet to win at this tail-end of his incredible athletic career.
In Song, we’re dealing with an absurdly experienced 27-year-old contender with plenty of room to grow. He’s already wildly talented for where he is, 31 fights in. The odds are off on paper and at a glance, and Cejudo should walk through Song. He’s only lost to the absolute best bantamweight or flyweight had to offer at the time.
However, father time makes a fool of us all eventually.
Here’s how this fight goes. Cejudo wins rounds one and two, landing some solidly impactful strikes while clearly at a speed disadvantage, but his superior grappling game helps put him ahead. Cejudo will take down Song. We’ve seen it numerous times throughout the Chinese competitor’s career. Despite that, Song has perpetually remained consistent with his strong get-up ability, rarely being controlled for longer than a minute. If anyone can change that, it’s Cejudo, but at the same time, that’s all his wrestling has been used for in MMA: control and not finishing, particularly not submissions, which he has none of.
Cejudo grew justifiably comfortable with his incredibly improved striking skills in the second half of his MMA career. Against Song, expect him to primarily seek a knockout until he gets tagged by the quicker and craftier Song, forcing his wrestling hand. Having more rounds to work will favor Song, who finds the finish late, similar to his main event win over Ricky Simon in April 2023.
Again, I still think Cejudo is highly underrated in the grand scheme of things. These two are just going in the most blatant of opposite directions with their careers because that’s how time works.
Pick: Song
185 pounds: Brendan Allen (+250) vs. Anthony Hernandez (-300)
Allen vs. Hernandez 2 is a secret rematch, meaning very few fans may know that it is, in fact, a rematch.
Cejudo vs. Song isn’t necessarily a case of momentum going in different directions as it is career timelines, but it’s the case with the new co-main event. Hernandez has come into his own, proving he’s a legitimate contender, whereas Allen was looking to be that until he ran into Nassourdine Imavov last September.
“Scramble fest” is written all over this surefire grappling affair, and Hernandez already overcame Allen once before when they were LFA prospects. Now, Hernandez has arguably improved more and has simply always been a danger on the mats.
Neither are the cleanest of strikers at middleweight. For Allen, he may try to prove a point and want to beat Hernandez where he’s best, which would be a mistake. Utilize your wrestling defensively if you’re Allen, and chip away with punches on clinch exits. Sometimes, that’s easier said than done.
“Fluffy” is banging on all cylinders right now and will just be one step ahead of his old rival in their sequel.
Pick: Hernandez
135 pounds: Rob Font (+125) vs. Jean Matsumoto (-150)
Brazil’s Matsumoto has the opportunity of a lifetime by getting to fill in on short notice against a season contender like Font. However, the situation is challenging to succeed in.
Font, 37, has been easy to doubt, leading to brilliant clapback performances. Against an undefeated 16-0 Matsumoto on short notice, the disrespect is palpable with his entering as the underdog.
The level of competition both have faced isn’t even comparable, with Font miles in front of the upstart. He’s long been one of the division’s best boxers, and this fight is primed to act as a reality check for Matsumoto — and the oddsmakers.
Matsumoto is the future. Unfortunately for him, it’s the present.
Pick: Font
145 pounds: Jean Silva (-525) vs. Melsik Baghdasaryan (+400)
Jean Silva fight weeks are the best fight weeks.
Not only was Silva one of the biggest stars out of his gym, Fighting Nerds, he was one of the best — most violent — standouts of 2024. The man helped cruise onto the shores of notoriety in a Brazilian wave of brutality, punishing Drew Dober, Charles Jourdain and Westin Wilson.
Melsik Baghdasaryan is an excellent prospect in his own right. He really is. But a year-and-a-half-long layoff isn’t the best footnote into a collision with a beast like “Lord” Silva.
The Armenian may have some early success holding onto Silva or striking from range, whether against the cage or with takedowns near it. They just won’t last, and Baghdasaryan will be punished in exchange for it at every turn. This man is on a mission.
Pick: Silva
205 pounds: Alonzo Menifield (-250) vs. Julius Walker (+200)
Talk about a roundabout way for Alonzon Menifield to arrive on this card. Seattle and London have somewhat similar weather, so it was all meant to be after Oumar Sy dropped out of their original March 22 matchup. Therefore, Julius Walker was given a shot to shine in his debut.
This fight is essentially whether or not the gamble pays off for Walker and his youth. It’s a green 25 vs. the seasoned 37. All indicators point to Menifield having absolutely no issues putting the newcomer in his place after losses to rising light heavyweight hopefuls Carlos Ulberg and Azamat Murzakanov — two men Walker shouldn’t even be mentioned in the same breath with.
Walker will go out there, looking for the kill early, and if he doesn’t find it, he’s done for with a knockout loss of his own, whether in counter-strike efforts or Menifield smashing and overpowering him. This fight is just a case of not doubting the tried and true veteran, who also had a whole camp heading into fight night, unlike his rookie counterpart.
Pick: Menifield
Preliminary notes
Ion Cutelaba is always a madman, for better or worse. And if Ibo Aslan’s last time out is anything to go by, he doesn’t want to waste any time once that bell rings. That fight is rightfully the capstone of the prelims.
The fall of Ricky Simon hurts my soul as his fellow Vancouver, Washington native. I’m glad he’s getting this opportunity to fight in our home state in the Octagon for the first time. Unfortunately for Simon, his best days appear behind him, and lay-ups don’t exist in the ever-stacked bantamweight division. The Basharat brothers are for real, and Javid Basharat will be hungry to return to the win column after his first career setbacks. Regardless of the winner, that one should be high-intensity bell-to-bell.
Quick picks:
Ibo Aslan (-185) def. Ion Cutelaba (+150)
Melquizael Costa (-110) def. Andre Fili (-110)
Mansur Abdul-Malik (-1000) def. Nick Klein (+650)
Javid Basharat (-250) def. Ricky Simon (+200)
Nikolay Veretennikov (-140) def. Austin Vanderford (+115)
Nursulton Ruziboev (-300) def. Eric McConico (+240)
Modestas Bukauskas (-300) def. Raffael Cerqueira (+240)
