Song Yadong won’t just be the “Kung Fu Kid” at UFC 324.
Song (22-8-1 MMA, 11-3-1 UFC) meets former UFC bantamweight champion O’Malley (18-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) on Jan. 24 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (Paramount+).
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O’Malley may think he’s finally in for a standup battle after back-to-back title losses against Merab Dvalishvili, but Song has other plans.
“For this year, I have been focused on more wrestling,” Song told UFC.com. “I went to San Diego to train with J-Flo (Justin Flores) – he’s a judo guy, so I learned some new stuff. I feel great. I feel like I’m reaching my peak.”
O’Malley is looking to get his rematch with newly crowned UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan if he can get past Song. The Team Alpha Male fighter feels he’s in a similar spot.
“This fight is very important for me because a win over Sean is a big accomplishment,” Song said. “This is a big opportunity for me. It makes me so excited and more motivated to win over Sean. (I’m) one step away from a title shot.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Song Yadong focused more on wrestling ahead of Sean O’Malley fight
