Though it wasn’t getting much love from the fans or media, UFC Fight Night 132 turned out to be a pretty solid card. From top to bottom, the card featured brutal knockouts, slick submissions, and back-and-forth fights that made it worth watching. In particular, performances by a trio of young prospects really stood out, and are worth highlighting.
The first prospect is Petr Yan. The 25-year-old Russian was the ACB bantamweight champion and headed into his UFC debut against Teruto Ishihara with a ton of hype. He certainly did not disappoint, as he came out swinging and brutally knocked Ishihara out in the first round. Yan has now won four straight fights and his last two wins have come by knockout. He’s an extremely well-rounded young fighter and should continue to grow and get better. The UFC could choose to take the slow build with him considering how deep bantamweight is right now, but the matchmakers might just fast-track him up the ladder because he looks ready to be a world champion.
The next prospect worth mentioning is Song Yadong. Only 20 years old, the native of China is now 2-0 in the UFC with two finishes and he won a “Performance of the Night” bonus for his brutal KO over Felipe Arantes. It’s amazing that he’s only 20, since he has so much experience for such a young fighter, but he’s not even close to reaching his full potential yet. And training at Team Alpha Male, Yadong should continue to thrive and get better, and he could absolutely be a featherweight title contender within a few years. Considering how young he is, the UFC would be smart to build him up slowly, but taking out a vet like Arantes in the fashion that he did might convince the matchmakers he is ready for a big step up in competition his next time out.
And finally, he might not be technically a prospect since he’s had 10 UFC fights now, but considering he’s only 23 and fighting in a new weight class, I think it’s worth mentioning Jake Matthews here. Matthews recently moved up to welterweight after outgrowing the lightweight division and has looked really good at 170 lbs, defeating Bojan Velickovic and Li Jingliang by decision and now beating Shinsho Anzai by submission. The big, young, Aussie looks better and better every time he steps inside the Octagon, and he still has tons of room for growth considering his young age. Again, considering his UFC experience he might not be a true prospect, but you can’t forget his age.
Keep your eye on Petr Yan, Song Yadong, and Jake Matthews going forward. They are three young, hungry, and talented fighters who should continue to get better and improve. The UFC needs new fighters to emerge in the Asian and Australian markets and these three look like they can be good fighters for a very long time, and that’s good news for everyone involved as all three are very fun to watch.
• Teruto Ishihara vs. Petr Yan: Petr Yan def. Teruto Ishihara via TKO (punches) at 3:28 of Round 1.
• Felipe Arantes vs. Song Yadong: Yadong Song def. Felipe Arantes via TKO (elbow and punches) at 4:59 of Round 2.
• Shinsho Anzai vs. Jake Matthews: Jake Matthews def. Shinsho Anzai via technical submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:44 of Round 1.
UFC Fight Night 132: Cowboy vs. Edwards took place June 23, 2018 at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore.
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