On September 17, the UFC added another APEX event to take place on the UFC schedule. Headlining that card will be Cory Sandhagen (14-4) taking on Song Yadong (19-6-1) in a top-10 bantamweight bout.
With everyone else matched up in the top 10, this is the perfect fight to make with Yadong stepping up in competition and Sandhagen being able to step away from the top 3 guys he has fought last.
Sandhagen and Yadong’s Previous Records
Cory Sandhagen is coming off back-to-back losses against TJ Dillashaw and Petr Yan. These did not drop his stock at all because Dillashaw is fighting for the title next month, and the fight against Yan was an interim title bout.
Song Yadong is currently on a 3-fight winning streak, freshly off a first-round KO against Marlon Moraes.
Sandhagen vs. Yadong Betting Analysis
Cory Sandhagen
Cory Sandhagen is one of the most skilled fighters in the UFC. He has come up short as of late in his career, with two title shot opportunities lost via a very close decision in both bouts.
His fight against Dillashaw was a classic. He tore up Dillashaw’s knee early on with a leg lock, but then just barely got outscored according to the judges over the next 4 rounds. The fight could literally have gone either way.
His Yan fight was for the interim belt, and it was another classic. He barely got bested by the former champ.
Sandhagen Experience
These fights have given Sandhagen experience that no one else in the division has.
At such a young age, Sandhagen has felt what it was like to go 25 minutes against the best to ever do it in the bantamweight division. This is something that will be carried onto every other fight he gets into for the rest of his career.
Song Yadong
Shockingly, Yadong is only 24 years of age. It seems like he has been in the UFC way too long for that to be the case, but the young man has proven he belongs.
Yadong’s Top 10
From fighting in the UFC at age 19, Yadong has proven himself and is now ranked in the top 10 of arguably the toughest division in the UFC.
This is his first real test in competition, and it is a massive jump. Sandhagen presents a lot of issues with his height and slick striking ability, but Yadong will come prepared for war, and you will see him give everything he has to beat the former title challenger.
Cory Sandhagen vs. Song Yadong Odds Breakdown
Sandhagen opened as a -160 slight favorite, but now has trended up to as much as a -200 favorite over Yadong.
Sandhagen vs. Yadong Betting Preview
When you are developing a Sandhagen vs Yadong betting analysis, the styles are the first thing that jumps out at you.
Sandhagen is this long, tall fighter with slick boxing and uses his footwork very well. Yadong is much shorter and compact, with more of a traditional Muay Thai style, I would say.
Sandhagen’s Skills
Just breaking down this matchup, Sandhagen comes out with the clear advantage in skill. The factor that makes this fight interesting is Yadong’s power.
He has legit one-shot knockout power that puts Sandhagen at risk at any given moment of the bout.
Yadong Stats
According to the Yadong records, he has only lost to Kyler Phillips, who is also a very athletic fighter that moves well in the octagon. This might present trouble for Yadong with how creative, and slick Sandhagen is in there.
Sandhagen Stats
If you look at Cory Sandhagen stats, you see they portray exactly what he has said he has gone through mentally. After his loss to Sterling, he has become an absolute killer.
He followed that loss up with two straight vicious KO’s against UFC legends, and then two more 25-minute fights of him pushing the pace and could have easily gotten both decisions against other killers.
Sandhagen is the -200 favorite going into this bout, which makes me lean towards making a play on him, with the value not being too bad. My Sandhagen vs Yadong betting analysis also points to Sandhagen as the favorite.
Sandhagen vs. Yadong Betting Predictions
Cory Sandhagen is a certified killer now in the bantamweight division. I believe after going 50 minutes with two former champions and killers; he will have an unbelievable amount of confidence while standing in front of Yadong.
Also, Sandhagen is way too well-coached to not be sharp when in the pocket with Yadong, who has crazy knockout power.
Most Profitable Bantamweight Contender
We think this is going to be a 25-minute master class by Cory Sandhagen, with maybe even a stoppage in the later rounds from a lot of cumulative damage taken by Yadong.
After a deep dive and developing a Sandhagen vs Yadong betting analysis, the moneyline is just valuable enough to take for Sandhagen. -190 in some sportsbooks in your area will be a good line to take.
Sandhagen will show why he is right up in the top 3 of the division and should only have big fights for the foreseeable future.
UFC Pick: Sandhagen (-190)
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