UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs. Song
| Company type | Mixed martial arts event |
|---|---|
| Industry | Mixed martial arts |
| Founded | February 22, 2025 |
| Headquarters | Seattle, Washington , United States |
Area served | United States |
| Parent | Ultimate Fighting Championship |
UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs. Song—also identified as UFC Fight Night 252 and UFC on ESPN+ 110—was a mixed martial arts competition organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The event took place on February 22, 2025, at the Climate Pledge Arena located in Seattle, Washington, United States.
Background
This occasion represented the UFC's fourth event hosted in Seattle and their first return since UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Moraga in July 2013.
The headline bout showcased a bantamweight clash between former UFC Flyweight and Bantamweight Champion and 2008 Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo and Song Yadong.
Originally scheduled was a women's bantamweight contest featuring Ketlen Vieira against Macy Chiasson, winner of The Ultimate Fighter: Heavy Hitters featherweight division; however, this fight was canceled due to Chiasson's injury. Notably, this matchup had been previously called off in January 2024 owing to an injury sustained by Vieira.
In the middleweight division, Mansur Abdul-Malik was slated to meet Antonio Trócoli, who later withdrew for undisclosed reasons and was substituted by Nick Klein.
A welterweight bout was planned between newcomer Islam Dulatov and Adam Fugitt. After Dulatov withdrew because of injury, Billy Goff stepped in as his replacement. Nonetheless, the fight was ultimately canceled during fight week following an injury to Fugitt.
Middleweight fighter Chidi Njokuani was connected with this card but eventually competed at a different event.
A bantamweight bout involving former two-time UFC Bantamweight Champion and ex-WEC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz versus Rob Font was arranged. Cruz withdrew due to injury before announcing his retirement. He was replaced by Jean Matsumoto in a 140-pound catchweight contest.
A heavyweight bout featuring former interim UFC Heavyweight title challenger Curtis Blaydes against promotional newcomer Rizvan Kuniev was rescheduled for UFC 313 in March due to undisclosed factors.
A featherweight matchup between Edson Barboza and Steve Garcia was called off after Barboza pulled out with an injury.
The Ultimate Fighter: Live lightweight winner Michael Chiesa was initially linked to this event but removed when no opponent was confirmed.
Bonus awards
Monetary bonuses of $50,000 were granted to the following fighters:
- Fight of the Night: Alonzo Menifield vs. Julius Walker
- Performance of the Night: Jean Silva and Ricky Simón
Reported payout
The disclosed fighter payouts submitted to the Washington State Athletic Commission do not include sponsorship earnings, discretionary bonuses, or other income:
- Song Yadong: $320,000 (including a $160,000 victory bonus) defeated Henry Cejudo: $150,000
- Anthony Hernandez: $140,000 (including a $72,000 win bonus) defeated Brendan Allen: $210,000
- Rob Font: $320,000 (including a $160,000 win bonus) defeated Jean Matsumoto: $26,000
- Jean Silva: $90,000 (including a $45,000 win bonus) defeated Melsik Baghdasaryan: $35,000
- Alonzo Menifield: $240,000 (including a $120,000 win bonus) defeated Julius Walker: $12,000
- Ion Cuțelaba: $190,000 (including a $95,000 win bonus) defeated İbo Aslan: $35,000
- Melquizael Costa: $48,000 (including a $24,000 win bonus) defeated Andre Fili: $110,000
- Mansur Abdul-Malik: $24,000 (including a $12,000 win bonus) defeated Nick Klein: $10,000
- Ricky Simón: $160,000 (including an $80,000 win bonus) defeated Javid Basharat: $30,000
- Austin Vanderford: $30,000 (including a $15,000 win bonus) defeated Nikolay Veretennikov: $12,000
- Nursulton Ruziboev: $74,000 (including a $37,000 win bonus) defeated Eric McConico: $12,000
- Modestas Bukauskas: $96,000 (including a $48,000 win bonus) defeated Raffael Cerqueira: $10,000