Yadong Song Is the Hero the UFC Needs to Break Into China

There’s a dude in China who’s all in on MMA–so much so that he challenges prominent kung fu stylists to fights, beats the crap out of them, and posts the videos online. But since kung fu is so much a part of Chinese culture, this dude has been publicly reviled and even fined by the government. You see, no one there wants to have their whole “kung fu is the best” mindset shaken. And for the UFC, that’s problematic. The UFC wants to break into mainland China and tap into those consumer dollars. How can they, though, when the general public doesn’t want to accept the truth about MMA combat?

Enter: Yadong Song. At UFC 239 last night, Song needed just a little over two minutes to knock Alejandro Perez out cold.

In case you didn’t know, Song is a badass. A homegrown, Chinese badass. And if the UFC needs someone for the Chinese public to latch onto and root for, Song is their hero.

There was a crazy amount of carnage at UFC 239 last night, but of all the knockouts, it’s likely that Song’s win will bear the most financial fruit for the organization.