UFC Fight Night 252 Preview: Cejudo v Song

Parimatch UK Editorial Team |

20/02/25
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The UFC Fight Night 252 headline bout sees former two-time UFC champion Henry Cejudo face Yadong Song in a bantamweight clash. There are also several other exciting fights on the main card and within the prelims as the UFC returns to Seattle.

The likes of Brendan Allen, Anthony Hernandez, Jean Silva, and Melsik Baghdasaryan are all on the card. Read our UFC Fight Night 252 preview to learn how to bet on MMA today at Parimatch Sportsbook.

When and Where is UFC Fight Night 252?

UFC Fight Night 252 is scheduled for Sunday, February 23, 2025. It will be held at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle in the United States. In the UK, you can watch the action live on TNT Sports.

UFC Fight Night 252 – Full Card

The main event at UFC Fight Night 252 sees US fighter Henry Cejudo face the Chinese favourite Song Yadong in a bantamweight bout. Check below for the main card and prelims ahead of this exciting fight night in Seattle:

Main Card

  • Bantamweight: Henry Cejudo (16-4-0) v Yadong Song (21-8-1)
  • Middleweight: Brendan Allen (24-6-0) v Anthony Hernandez (13-2-0)
  • Featherweight: Jean Silva (14-2-0) v Melsik Baghdasaryan (8-2-0)
  • Catchweight: Rob Font (21-8-0) v Jean Matsumoto (16-0-0)
  • Featherweight: Edson Barboza (24-12-0) v Steve Garcia (17-5-0)
  • Light heavyweight: Ion Cutelaba (18-10-1) v Ibo Aslan (14-1-0)
  • Light heavyweight: Alonzo Menifeld (15-5-1) v Julius Walker (6-0-0)

Prelims

  • Middleweight: Nursulton Ruziboev (34-9-2) v Eric McConico (9-2-1)
  • Featherweight: Andre Fili (24-11-0) v Melquizael Costa (21-7-0)
  • Welterweight: Adam Fugitt (10-4-0) v Billy Ray Goff (9-3-0)
  • Bantamweight: Ricky Simon (20-6-0) v Javid Basharat (14-1-0)
  • Middleweight: Mansur Abdul-Malik (7-0-0) v Nick Klein (6-1-0)
  • Light heavyweight: Modestas Bukauskas (16-6-0) v Raffael Cerqueira (11-1-0)

UFC 252 Preview: What Can We Expect?

Here, we look ahead to the main clashes at UFC 252 and provide some insights that will inform your betting strategy at Parimatch:

Cejudo v Song Preview

Former flyweight and bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo is headlining UFC Fight Night 252 as he faces Yadong Song. Cejudo – the Messenger – has 16 wins from 20 fights in the promotion and is an Olympic gold medallist following his win at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

After becoming a double UFC champion, Cejudo announced his retirement in 2020. However, his return to the Octagon hasn’t gone to plan. He lost his first return fight to Aljamain Sterling in 2023 at UFC 288. He lost again against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 298 and hopes to return to winning when he faces Song Yadong later this month.

The Chinese fighter is currently ranked eighth in the bantamweight division and has 21 wins from 31 fights. In his last outing, Song was defeated by Petr Yan at UFC 299, losing the bout by unanimous decision.

It followed two impressive wins – one against Ricky Simon at UFC Fight Night 222 and another against Chris Gutierrez via unanimous decision. Song is the slight favourite going into this one, but the two men are evenly matched, and this will be a brilliant contest in Seattle.

Allen v Hernandez Preview

Former Legacy Fighting Alliance middleweight champion Brendan Allen has an impressive reputation in the UFC promotion, with 24 wins from his 30 professional fights. His unanimous decision defeat to Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Fight Night 243 halted a superb seven-fight win streak, in which he secured wins over Paul Craig, Bruno Silva, and Andre Muniz, among others.

His opponent in Seattle is countryman Antony Hernandez. “Fluffy” has 13 wins from 16 in the UFC promotion, and he was brilliant in the main fight at UFC Fight Night 245, securing a technical knockout win against Michel Pereira. It was his sixth successive UFC win; his last defeat came when Kevin Holland won their 2020 fight after just 39 seconds.

Silva v Baghdasaryan Preview

Brazilian MMA star Jean Silva has 14 wins from 16 professional bouts, emerging from Dana White’s Contender Series in 2023. His debut in the UFC came at Fight Night 234, where he secured a technical KO victory against Westin Wilson in the first round. He was equally as impressive against Drew Dober at UFC on ESPN 59, winning a Fight of the Night Award for his performance in a lightweight bout.

He will face the accomplished and experienced Armenian fighter Melsik Baghdasaryan at UFC Fight Night 252. The Armenian has been with the promotion since 2021. The Armenian has struggled with injuries recently, pulling out of his last two scheduled fights. He last appeared in the promotion at a UFC Fight Night in 2023, beating Tucker Lutz via unanimous decision.

Other Fighters to Watch

The pick of the other main card fights is the catchweight bout between the undefeated Jean Matsumoto and Rob Font. The Brazilian has three wins by KO and six wins by submission and will prove one of the toughest tests of Rob Font’s career as they meet in Seattle.

The pick of the prelims is perhaps the all-American clash between Nick Klein and the up-and-coming Mansur Abdul-Malik. Abdul-Malik has six first-round finishes in his seven fights today, and many see him as a future UFC champion.

How to Bet on Fight Nights at Parimatch

You can bet on UFC Fight Night 252 at Parimatch, the home of UFC & MMA betting in the UK. Create an account today by clicking the “Sign Up” button and visit our offers page to access a promotion. You can then deposit funds and bet on all the bouts at UFC Fight Night 252.

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