Song Yadong plans on leapfrogging Merab Dvalishvili by knocking out Petr Yan at UFC 299: “I’m the next”

UFC bantamweight Song Yadong plans on leapfrogging Merab Dvalishvili in the title conversation by defeating Petr Yan.

Across his last six fights, Song Yadong has picked up five wins. Following his loss to Cory Sandhagen, the youngster bounced back with wins over Ricky Simon and Chris Gutierrez. This weekend, he’ll have the chance to pick up the biggest win of his career thus far when he collides with Petr Yan.

While the winner isn’t expected to get a title shot, it’ll certainly get them a whole lot closer in the conversation. Of course, right now, Merab Dvalishvili is the one leading the charge in the call for a championship opportunity.

RELATED: Song Yadong fires back at Petr Yan following UFC Vegas 83 win: “His last fight was boring, too”

In a recent interview, Yadong explained why he thinks he has a great chance to leapfrog him tomorrow night.

https://twitter.com/UFCNews/status/1765849654648873002?s=20

Yadong’s big plan

“I like Sean. I’m rooting for Sean, he’s going to win the fight,” Song told UFC News. “He definitely has good striking, better striking than ‘Chito,’ but ‘Chito’ definitely has good defense.

“Now, it seems like everybody wants Merab next to challenge, but if I knock Petr out, I’m the next,” he concluded.

“Before I fought Chris, I knew after the win, I will choose to face Petr, for sure,” Song said. “Because in the Top 10, both of us [needed] to fight.”

Quotes via MMA Mania

Regardless of which way you look at it, the stakes are pretty high heading into Yadong vs Yan in Miami.

Do you believe there’s a chance Song Yadong could earn a title shot with a big win over Petr Yan? If not, how many more victories would he need alongside that? Are you excited for the UFC 299 card? Let us know your thoughts, BJPENN Nation!