The UFC will return to the APEX in Las Vegas tonight for another exciting Fight Night card featuring some of the top fighters in the world. A handful of ranked fighters will step into the octagon in some big matchups that could see a shakeup in the UFC rankings.
One of the top bantamweight contenders in the world will look to stay hot in a matchup against another ranked opponent who will be looking for a signature win. Plus, two hard-hitting ranked light heavyweights will square off for a chance to move up in a very open division and two flyweight contenders will meet in a new weight class.
Bantamweight bout: Tim Elliott vs. Sumudaerji
UFC stalwart Tim Elliott has faced off against some of the best in the sport over his 33-fight career. With a record of 19-13-1, the 36-year-old will be moving up from his usual flyweight class to meet a fellow flyweight at 135 lbs. instead. Coming off of a loss in he most recent outing in October, it’s important for Elliott to get back in the win column here and begin to establish some momentum if he hopes to make a run at a championship, whichever weight class that might be in. Elliott is a strong grappler who can be a matchup nightmare for anyone. He just needs to put it all together at the right time.
That won’t be easy against Sumudaerji, who comes into this bout with a 16-5 record and 13 knockouts. The 27-year-old has youth on his side, but he is also in need of a turnaround as he hasn’t stepped into the octagon since his loss to Matt Schnell in July of 2022. Prior to that though, Sumudaerji had won three straight, including a knockout of Malcolm Gordon in 2020. The 11th-ranked flyweight, a win over the man one spot ahead of him could be big for his career, even if the fight is in another weight class.
Light heavyweight bout: Anthony Smith vs. Khalil Rountree
It’s always fun to see a familiar UFC analyst get back into the octagon. Anthony Smith was a longtime fighter before stepping up to the booth and providing his expertise to ESPN’s coverage of the sport. Since then, he has bounced back and forth between the two and found success at both. Smith sports a 37-18 record and will be looking to string together back-to-back wins after a split decision victor over Ryan Spann back in August. A win in this matchup would be big for Smith, who could still make a run at a championship at this late point in his career.
This first obstacle will be a big one though as Khalil Rountree is one of the hottest fighters in the light heavyweight division. Riding a four-fight winning streak, Rountree’s record stands at 12-5 with eight knockouts. The guy can end a fight in a blink. Just ask Chris Daukaus, whom Rountree knocked out back in August. Sitting at 11 in the light heavyweight rankings, Rountree has a big opportunity to knock off #8 here and claim a spot in the top 10. This should be a very fun standup battle that I would not expect to go the distance.
Bantamweight bout: Song Yadong vs. Chris Gutierrez
The UFC’s bantamweight division already saw quite a shakeup earlier this year when Sean O’Malley took the crown. Now, the division, while loaded with talent, remains fairly open for fighters to move up and down the rankings. In other words, this main event is a hug opportunity for the #7 and #15 fighters in the class.
There are few fighters in the bantamweight class with the knockout power of Song Yadong. Currently #7 at 135 lbs., Song sports a 20-7-1 record with nine knockouts, including one over Ricky Simon his last time out. Song has hovered around the top of this division for a while and if not for a TKO loss to Cory Sandhagen last year, he might be right in the title picture as we speak. Instead, he will be looking to start up a winning streak again and hopefully claim a spot in the top 5.
Standing in his way though is Chris Gutierrez, whose highlight knockout of UFC legend Frankie Edgar last year put the rest of the division on notice. He has since dropped a decision to Pedro Munhoz (currently #11 in the division) before bouncing back with a decision win over Heili Alateng in October. After suffering only his second UFC loss ever, Gutierrez will look to win the year and secure a big win over a ranked opponent. Gutierrez is also a talented striker who can end a fight in a hurry, but it seems unlikely he will be willing to stand and trade punches with Song in this main event. His gameplan will be very interesting.
UFC Fight Night: Song vs. Gutierrez will be held Saturday, December 9 at 10:00 PM ET. Fight fans can watch live on ESPN+.