5 questions that could be answered at UFC Fight Night: Henry Cejudo vs. Song Yadong

The UFC returns to Seattle this weekend for what should be an intriguing Fight Night event. The card has seen plenty of changes but still looks pretty good.

UFC Fight Night: Henry Cejudo vs. Song Yadong has been an injury-hit one, but there's enough here to intrigue fans, with plenty of questions to be answered. With key fights in the bantamweight, middleweight and featherweight divisions, this event should be worth watching.

Here are five questions that could be answered at UFC Fight Night: Henry Cejudo vs. Song Yadong.

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#5. Is Austin Vanderford more than Mr. Paige VanZant?

This weekend's UFC event is full of late-notice fights. One such bout pits debutant Austin Vanderford against Nikolay Veretennikov in a 175-pound catchweight clash.

Veretennikov lost his octagon debut last August and is largely unheralded, so the focus in this fight is likely to be on Vanderford.

While 'The Gentleman' holds a solid record of 12-2, he's more famous for being the husband of former strawweight contender turned model Paige VanZant.

Would Vanderford have been signed by the UFC were it not for his marriage? Judging by the reaction of some fans on social media, it might be a fair question. However, Vanderford is talented, holding some notable wins in Bellator MMA at least.

The pressure is still likely to be on him to avoid that accusation, though, so the question of whether he can prove to be more than just Mr. Paige VanZant will be one of the weekend's more intriguing ones.

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#4. Can Jean Silva kick off 2025 with a bang?

One of the most exciting UFC debutants of 2024 was undoubtedly Brazil's Jean Silva.

'Lord' strung three wins together, all by knockout, and managed to go viral, thanks to a wild four-minute walkout that he claimed saw him morph into an alter-ego.

Many fans expected the promotion to attempt to push him into title contention at 145 pounds this year. However, this weekend will see him face the largely unheralded Melsik Baghdasaryan instead of a top fifteen-ranked foe.

The reasons for this are quite clear. The matchmakers probably don't want to rush him up the ladder too soon, and they're probably also aware that he missed weight for his last bout at 145 pounds.

If the Brazilian can continue his magical run, though, by firstly making weight and secondly knocking 'The Gun' out, his rise to stardom could well continue. Whether he can kick off his 2025 with a bang, we will only find out this weekend.

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#3. Will Jean Matsumoto make an impact on short notice?

The originally planned co-headliner for this event would've seen the legendary Dominick Cruz take on Rob Font in an intriguing bantamweight tilt.

However, when Cruz pulled out and announced his retirement earlier this month, it left Font without an opponent. For a long time, it looked like the No.9 ranked 135-pounder would miss the event entirely.

Now, though, he is set to fight Jean Matsumoto in a 140-pound catchweight bout. While this isn't as intriguing as the Cruz fight would've been, it's still one to watch.

That's largely because Matsumoto is absolutely no pushover. The Brazilian is 16-0 with two wins in the UFC and has clearly been waiting for a chance at a breakout performance.

So could that performance come against Font? It won't be easy. Not only is Matsumoto taking the bout on late notice, but Font is well used to turning away prospects, beating the likes of Adrian Yanez and Kyler Phillips in recent years.

Whether he can do the same to the unbeaten Brazilian remains to be seen. Either way, whether Matsumoto can step up another level is one of the bigger questions going into this weekend.

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#2. Can Brendan Allen or Anthony Hernandez shoot into UFC middleweight title contention?

While neither man has the biggest name just yet, Brendan Allen and Anthony Hernandez are definitely among the best middleweight up-and-comers in the UFC.

Both men are currently ranked in the top 15 at 185 pounds, with Allen at No.9 and Hernandez at No.12. An impressive win for either man - particularly via finish - would probably propel them into title contention.

So who is likely to take it? The first time these two fought - in the LFA promotion back in 2018 - Hernandez was able to take a clear-cut decision win.

Since then, both men have improved, but has enough changed to suggest Allen could be favored? 'All In' probably has better wins to his name than 'Fluffy', but stylistically, Hernandez may still be a horrible match for him.

More to the point, 'Fluffy' is coming off a huge win over Michel Pereira and hasn't lost since 2020. He's riding a six-fight win streak. Allen, on the other hand, saw a similar streak snapped at the hands of Nassourdine Imavov last year.

Regardless, though, this is likely to be a close fight, meaning one fighter is probably going to have to produce something special to really stand out and move up the ladder. Whether they can do that will only be answered on Saturday.

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#1. Does Henry Cejudo have anything left in the tank?

The biggest question coming into this weekend's UFC event centers around headliner Henry Cejudo.

'Triple C' is widely recognized as one of the most accomplished fighters in MMA history, having claimed both the flyweight and bantamweight titles. He stands as one of only four fighters to hold two titles in different weight classes simultaneously.

However, it's now been the best part of five years since the 2008 Olympic gold medallist won a bout in the octagon.

Cejudo spent part of that time period in a self-imposed hiatus, of course, but since he returned in 2023, he hasn't fared too well.

A loss to then-champ Aljamain Sterling taught him that the division had moved on without him, while a defeat to Merab Dvalishvili was even worse. For the first time in his career, 'Triple C' found himself physically dominated and even taken down.

So does Cejudo have anything left to offer, or did he simply spend his prime years in his self-imposed quasi-retirement?

This is a question that really ought to be answered this weekend. Cejudo's opponent, Song Yadong, is an excellent fighter, but he's arguably one step below the division's very best.

If 'Triple C' can defeat him, the suggestion would be that he's still a viable title threat, and one more win could easily move him back into full contention.

A loss, though, might suggest that the Olympic gold medallist would be best to walk away from the UFC for good.

With any hope, some clarity on this should come on Saturday.