5 best moments from UFC Fight Night: Song Yadong vs. Chris Gutierrez

The UFC’s final Fight Night event of 2023 is in the books, and while it lacked hype, it turned out to be a decent show overall.

UFC Fight Night: Song Yadong vs. Chris Gutierrez featured a number of violent finishes, with a handful of fighters really shining.

With this considered, here are the five best moments from UFC Fight Night: Song Yadong vs. Chris Gutierrez.

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#5 Steve Garcia knocks Melquizael Costa out so badly that he tackles the ref

Last night’s prelim bouts saw some decent action overall, but perhaps the funniest moment of the event came in the lightweight bout between Steve Garcia and Melquizael Costa.

After a relatively even first round, Garcia took over early in the second by dropping Costa with a pretty wild combination. After slicing him open with a series of nasty elbows and punches on the ground, he then went for a rear naked choke that failed, largely due to the blood making things slippery.

Deciding to give up on the idea of a tapout, ‘Mean Machine’ instead went back to those nasty elbows, and ended up putting Costa out entirely.

Referee Chris Tognoni stepped in to call the fight off – and hilariously, a dazed and confused Costa then attempted to take him down with a single leg.

What made this even funnier was the fact that Tognoni was somehow able to channel his inner Georges St-Pierre, and defended the takedown perfectly until Costa finally realised the fight was over and stopped.

Despite not receiving a $50k bonus, any UFC fighter who knocks their foe out so badly that they attempt to tackle the referee deserves a shout-out, and so Garcia’s finish was definitely one of the moments of the night.

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#4 Tatsuro Taira moves into contention with a TKO win over Carlos Hernandez

While his fight with Carlos Hernandez was buried deep on the prelim card last night, Tatsuro Taira is undoubtedly a serious threat in the flyweight division.

The Japanese fighter brought a 14-0 record, including four wins in the UFC, into the bout. If anything, it could’ve been argued that he warranted a fight with a ranked foe rather than a largely inexperienced one like Hernandez.

In the end, Taira proved why he’s so highly regarded. After dominating Hernandez on the ground in the opening round, he pulled off a violent knockout in the second, and was probably unfortunate to miss a $50k bonus.

Connecting with a sickening right hand, Taira seemed to freeze Hernandez in his tracks, and then went to town with a rapid-fire flurry that put him firmly down once and for all.

Remarkably, this was Taira’s first finish via strikes since 2020, and definitely stood out as one of last night’s best moments.

With any hope, it should also lead to a fight with a ranked opponent next. The Japanese star has definitely earned it, and could well become a title contender next year.

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#3 Tim Elliott shows that late notice is no problem

Former UFC flyweight title challenger Tim Elliott did not initially intend to compete on last night’s card at all. However, after taking a last-gasp bout with fellow ranked flyweight Su Mudaerji at 135lbs, he proved that zero notice was no problem for him.

The veteran needed just four minutes to dispatch ‘The Tibetan Eagle,' hurting him standing before submitting him with a pretty slick arm triangle choke shortly after.

Elliott has always been an unorthodox fighter, and this performance was certainly no different in that regard. He stunned Su with a standing elbow that basically nobody expected, and that was the beginning of the end.

From there, Elliott slithered his way into a dominant position, bloodying his foe before locking on the fight-ending hold.

Incredibly, Su passed out rather than tap, leaving fans with a grim visual of blood spewing from his mouth as he went unconscious.

Elliott quite rightly won a bonus $50k for this showing, and based on his form here, he should look to get back into action quickly. This nasty finish was definitely one of last night’s best moments.

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#2 Nasrat Haqparast turns out the lights on Jamie Mullarkey

The fastest finish on offer last night was produced by lightweight contender Nasrat Haqparast. His bout with Jamie Mullarkey lasted just under two minutes before it was called off, but still featured more than one knockdown.

Showing incredibly quick hands, Haqparast turned on the style early, dropping his Australian foe to his knees with a big left hook.

The Aussie did well to get back to his feet from that shot, but was soon wobbled again by a follow-up flurry, mainly consisting of more big left hands.

Eventually, Mullarkey found himself seemingly out on his feet, but that only allowed Haqparast to level him with a three-punch combo that finally forced ref Keith Peterson to step in.

Not only was this a highlight-reel win for Haqparast, but it was also his first knockout victory since the summer of 2019. Now riding a three-fight win streak, it could be time for the UFC to try to move him up the card again. At 28 years old, he could just be entering his prime.

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#1 Khali Rountree rockets into UFC title contention with his brutal win over Anthony Smith

Undoubtedly the most brutal and impressive showing on last night’s card came from burgeoning light-heavyweight contender Khalil Rountree.

‘The War Horse’ essentially picked apart former UFC title challenger Anthony Smith over the course of three rounds, keeping him on the back foot with his jab while also hurting ‘Lionheart’ on numerous occasions with his bigger strikes.

The ending finally came in the third round. Rountree stunned Smith with a huge right uppercut and then put him on rubber legs with a sweeping left hook, eventually causing ‘Lionheart’ to tumble down in a slightly delayed reaction.

‘The War Horse’ didn’t even bother to follow up, as the fight was quite clearly done. The win means he is now riding a five-fight win streak, with four of those coming via knockout.

Is his overall game now developed enough for him to be a true UFC title contender? It’s definitely debatable, but he’s certainly come a very long way since his earlier wildman days, and he deserves a big fight next time out for sure.

Regardless, this win earned him a $50k bonus and stands as the best moment of last night’s UFC show.