Former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo returns to action after nearly a year of absence from the cage at UFC Fight Night 252 this weekend. Across the octagon from him will be no.8-ranked bantamweight Song Yadong, who is just a notch below him in the rankings.
Cejudo and Song ran into each other during fight week at the fighter hotel. Seeing the Chinese warrior's coach, Team Alpha's Urijah Faber, 'Triple C' went straight to saying hello to his opposing camp. While he did shake hands with Song, the former two-division king made a throat-slit gesture to his upcoming opponent.
Henry Cejudo posted the interaction on Instagram, with the caption:
"Just ran into The Dong. He’s smaller than I thought! #UFCSeattle 💋"
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Former UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo, a former student of Cejudo, commented on the video with just emojis:
"🔥🔥👏👏"
![Deiveson Figueiredo's comment. [Image credit: @henry_cejudo on Instagram]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/02/8163f-17400011106657-1920.jpg?w=190 190w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/02/8163f-17400011106657-1920.jpg?w=720 720w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/02/8163f-17400011106657-1920.jpg?w=640 640w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/02/8163f-17400011106657-1920.jpg?w=1045 1045w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/02/8163f-17400011106657-1920.jpg?w=1200 1200w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/02/8163f-17400011106657-1920.jpg?w=1460 1460w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/02/8163f-17400011106657-1920.jpg?w=1600 1600w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/02/8163f-17400011106657-1920.jpg 1920w)
Song Yadong responds to Henry Cejudo's video caption: "I'm way more stronger than you think"
Henry Cejudo, ever the instigator, mentioned that Song Yadong is "smaller" in person than he thought. Of course, this prompted a response from the often friendly Song, who commented on the post himself.
Song said:
"You are the shortest opponent I ever faced. I’m way more stronger than you think."
![Song Yadong's comment. [Image credit: @henry_cejudo on Instagram]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/02/005eb-17400022434855-1920.jpg?w=190 190w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/02/005eb-17400022434855-1920.jpg?w=720 720w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/02/005eb-17400022434855-1920.jpg?w=640 640w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/02/005eb-17400022434855-1920.jpg?w=1045 1045w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/02/005eb-17400022434855-1920.jpg?w=1200 1200w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/02/005eb-17400022434855-1920.jpg?w=1460 1460w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/02/005eb-17400022434855-1920.jpg?w=1600 1600w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/02/005eb-17400022434855-1920.jpg 1920w)
Digging a little deeper into Song's record, 'Triple C' is indeed his shortest opponent - at least in the UFC. The Chinese MMA star, who stands at 5'8", will tower over Cejudo's 5'4" frame.
Song has faced tall and lanky fighters in the past, like Cory Sandhagen and Marlon Vera, but never anyone who has this much height disadvantage against him. While the height difference will play a factor in the fight, other aspects of the game might very well negate it - even become disadvantageous to Song.
Henry Cejudo is an Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling, which means he is a master of changing levels and shooting for takedowns. With him much shorter than Song, it would be easier for him to snatch legs and take the fight to the ground.
And when the fight hits the ground, height differences will soon matter less.