Song secures main event victory as UFC Macau card delivers decisive outcomes
Yadong Song defeats Deiveson Figueiredo via submission, while Alonzo Menifield, Sergei Pavlovich, and Kai Asakura all record knockout wins on the same card.
The UFC returned to Macau for Fight 277, delivering a night of decisive finishes and significant shifts in the bantamweight and heavyweight rankings. In the main event, Yadong Song defeated former UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo via a second-round guillotine choke submission. The victory marks a pivotal moment for Song, who is now positioned back in the bantamweight title hunt following a controversial loss earlier in the year.
Song and Figueiredo engaged in a patient first round, with sparse action until Song landed leg kicks and a right hand. Figueiredo responded with a hard right hook and spent the remainder of the round in top position. The dynamic shifted in the second round when Song tripped Figueiredo after catching a kick. Although Figueiredo attempted a takedown, he was countered with a head kick before Song secured the submission at the 4:42 mark of the round.
The co-main event featured a light heavyweight clash between Alonzo Menifield and Mingyang Zhang. Menifield, seeking to rebound from a knockout loss in November, established early dominance with leg kicks and powerful hooks. Despite Zhang reversing a clinch and landing knees to the midsection, Menifield recovered from a brief hurt moment to knock Zhang down. Referee Marc Goddard waved off the contest at 4:15 of the first round, handing Menifield a crucial victory.
In the heavyweight division, Sergei Pavlovich delivered a swift and violent performance against Tallison Teixeira. The bout ended in just 39 seconds when Pavlovich backed Teixeira up with right hooks, dropping him with a third strike. Pavlovich followed up with left hands until Teixeira was unconscious, securing a win that should reposition him among the top title contenders. This marks Pavlovich’s third consecutive victory.
Kai Asakura secured his first UFC victory in his third octagon appearance, moving up to bantamweight to face Cameron Smotherman. Asakura ended the fight at 1:50 of the first round with a devastating left hook that knocked Smotherman unconscious. The win provides a significant boost for Asakura, who had suffered submission losses in his previous two UFC bouts at flyweight.
Other notable results on the card included a unanimous decision victory for Jake Matthews over Carlston Harris at welterweight, and a first-round knockout for Jose Felipe Dias against Yi Sak Lee in the middleweight division. The main card also featured a flyweight bout between Alex Perez and Su Mudaerji that ended in a no contest after Perez was unable to continue due to an accidental groin strike.
