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The UFC's first visit to Seattle in some years is now in the books. Last night's Fight Night event featured cool finishes, strong performances and a bit of controversy, too.
So what's next for the big stars of UFC Fight Night: Henry Cejudo vs. Song Yadong?
For some fighters, it'll be a big step up the ladder next time out, while for two in particular, a rematch may be on the cards.
Here are five fights to make after UFC Fight Night: Henry Cejudo vs. Song Yadong.
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#5. UFC light-heavyweight bout: Ion Cutelaba vs. Alonzo Menifield
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The UFC loves to match fighters who win at the same event against one another, particularly if they're relatively closely matched. In that sense, a fight between Ion Cutelaba and Alonzo Menifield would be perfect.
Both men won last night, with Menifield out-brawling newcomer Julius Walker and Cutelaba pulling off an upset submission of Ibo Aslan. Menifield is ranked at No.15 right now while Cutelaba isn't a ranked fighter, but this would still be good matchmaking.
Both men are highly flawed fighters who are still capable of the spectacular. Both men love to swing wildly at their foes, leaving themselves open in the process. Neither has the best cardio, but in a fight like this, that could add to the fun.
Essentially, given the tenure that both 'The Hulk' and 'Atomic' have with the promotion, it's surprising they've never been matched up before.
This bout would not be a technical masterclass, but it could still be great to watch and would be well worth putting together.
#4. UFC bantamweight bout: Rob Font vs. Mario Bautista
One of last night's big winners was undoubtedly Rob Font. The No.9 ranked bantamweight in the UFC took a late notice fight at a catchweight with a tricky foe in Jean Matsumoto, and was able to come out on top in a fun fight.
Font now finds himself on his first win streak since 2021, and could well be seen as the 135-pound equivalent of Neil Magny. He'll lose to the division's elite fighters or those with elite potential, but will basically beat everyone else.
With that in mind, a good next fight for him could be the No.10 ranked Mario Bautista.
Bautista is currently riding a seven-fight win streak and is 9-2 in the UFC overall, but realistically, he hasn't proven himself at the elite level just yet. Sure, he beat Jose Aldo last year, but the legendary Brazilian was coming out of retirement and is way past his best.
If Bautista could topple Font, though, it'd prove that he really is a contender to be reckoned with in one of the promotion's deepest divisions. Whether he could do so against a fighter who would hold a striking advantage and has strong takedown defense, though, would be a fair question.
That alone would make this a highly effective fight to book in the near future.
#3. UFC featherweight bout: Jean Silva vs. Bryce Mitchell
The most explosive win on offer last night came from featherweight prospect Jean Silva. 'Lord' laid waste to Melsik Baghdasaryan in the first round of their bout with a big one-two, stopping him late in the first round.
Silva is now 17-2 and holds four wins in the UFC, all by knockout. It's clear that he needs a step up, and at this stage, he appears to be ready for a ranked foe.
Thankfully, the Brazilian has done the matchmakers a favor by apparently calling his own shots. 'Lord' challenged the controversial Bryce Mitchell in his post-fight interview, and 'Thug Nasty' has already taken to X to respond.
Ranked at No.13 in the division and coming off a big win over Kron Gracie, Mitchell would absolutely represent a step up in competition for Silva. However, based on what he's done so far, 'Lord' may well be favored to win.
Either way, the apparently built-in rivalry would definitely make this fight one worth booking, and the UFC could even make it a headliner or co-headliner of a Fight Night card later this year.
#2. UFC middleweight bout: Anthony Hernandez vs. Jared Cannonier
While he isn't the flashiest fighter in the UFC's middleweight division right now, there's no denying that Anthony Hernandez is one of the most effective.
'Fluffy' picked up his seventh win in a row last night by outpointing Brendan Allen, and may well take his foe's No.9 ranking come next week.
Given that he's passed every test thrown at him recently, from Allen to a dangerous striker in Michel Pereira and a phenomenal grappler in Rodolfo Vieira, it's time for him to take a step up.
With that in mind, a good opponent for him could be Jared Cannonier.
Not only is 'The Killa Gorilla' ranked a little higher again at No.7, but he's coming off a big win over Gregory Rodrigues that saw him reaffirm his status as one of the world's best 185-pounders.
A win over Cannonier would be the biggest scalp ever collected by Hernandez, but whether 'Fluffy' could deal with the former title challenger's big punching power would be a fair question.
This fight sounds like the perfect headliner for one of the UFC's Las Vegas-based Fight Night events later in the year.
#1. UFC bantamweight bout: Song Yadong vs. Henry Cejudo
It's fair to say that last night's event did not end on a high note. The highly-anticipated bantamweight clash between Henry Cejudo and Song Yadong went to a three-round technical decision following an eye poke suffered by 'Triple C', with Song being declared the winner.
In the immediate aftermath of the bout, it was clear that nothing was settled, and both men respectfully suggested that a rematch could be the best path for them.
However, UFC CEO Dana White was quick to disagree with this in the post-event press conference, although he didn't give a concrete reason.
One guess could be that he believes Cejudo - who has now lost his last three bouts and hasn't won since May 2020 - should go back into retirement.
If that's the case, it'd be a fair opinion to have. However, given 'Triple C' remains one of the bantamweight division's biggest names, getting another fight out of him may make more sense.
Whether he'd be able to find a better way of challenging Song, of course, would be a fair question. While he wasn't whitewashed last night prior to the eye poke, he was definitely second-best to the Chinese star.
Despite that, given that Cejudo has already asked White to reconsider, the promotion ought to acquiesce to his wishes and make this rematch as soon as possible.
