UFC Fight Night Seattle full card predictions for Henry Cejudo vs. Song Yadong

The UFC is in Seattle this weekend for a stacked UFC Fight Night event, and MMA KO’s Drew Beaupré is here to provide predictions for the entire 12-fight card.

UFC Fight Night Seattle Main Card

Henry Cejudo vs. Song Yadong

I know Yadong is the significantly younger fighter, but I’m a little surprised to see how big of a favorite he currently is against someone as credentialed as Cejudo.

Henry Cejudo fights Merab Dvalishvili during UFC 298 at Honda Center. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

It’s obvious that “Triple C” isn’t the same force he was before his short-lived retirement, but given that his last two losses came against Merab Dvalishvili and Aljamain Sterling I’m still happy with picking him to get the better of Yadong in Seattle.

(Pick: Cejudo)

UFC Seattle best fights and fighters to watch - Henry Cejudo vs. Song Yadong

Brendan Allen vs. Anthony Hernandez

This might be the hardest matchup on the card to call, especially given that Hernandez is on such an incredible run and Allen just had his own winning streak halted in September.

Anthony Hernandez moves in against Roman Kopylov during UFC 298 at Honda Center. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

This fight will hopefully produce some entertaning scrambles if and when it hits the ground, but with Hernandez likely holding an edge on the feet I'll side with "Fluffy" to continue his rise towards title contention.

(Pick: Hernandez)

Rob Font vs. Jean Matsumoto

It’s a shame that Font missed out on a higher-profile matchup with Dominick Cruz at UFC Seattle, but the longtime UFC veteran still has a chance to hand Matsumoto his first loss and defend his spot in the bantamweight rankings.

Jean Matsumoto fights Brad Katona in a bantamweight fight during a UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX. | (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

Fans have already seen Font beat back a pair of rising talent in Adrian Yanez and Kyler Phillips in recent years, but I’m going to slightly lean with Matsumoto to extend his undefeated record and pick up the biggest win of his career.

(Pick: Matsumoto)

Jean Silva vs. Melsik Baghdasaryan

Returning to action for the first time since 2023, Baghdasaryan has been handed a difficult matchup here in the surging Silva.

Charles Jourdain fights Jean Silva during UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

I think Baghdasaryan can make this fight far more competitive than the current betting odds indicate, but it’s hard to pick against Silva given the incredible run he’s currently on.

(Pick: Silva)

Alonzo Menifield vs. Julius Walker

Previously on an impressive winning run that put him in the UFC light heavyweight rankings, Menifield was stopped via strikes in both of his Octagon outings last year.

Alonzo Menifield reacts to a fight against Ed Herman during UFC 265 at Toyota Center. | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

“Atomic” faces another dangerous finisher at UFC Seattle in promotional debutant Walker, but as long as he doesn’t get clipped early Menifield’s experience should allow him to get back into the win column.

(Pick: Menifield)

How to watch UFC Seattle & betting odds for Henry Cejudo vs. Song Yadong

UFC Fight Night Seattle Preliminary Card

Ion Cutelaba vs. Ibo Aslan

Ion Cutelaba before his fight against Philipe Lins during UFC 299 at Kayesa Center. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Back-to-back finishes to start his UFC career have given Aslan quite a bit of momentum, but this feels like the kind of matchup where Cutelaba could create a bit of chaos and secure his second win in a row.

(Pick: Cutelaba)

Andre Fili vs. Melquizael Costa

Andre Fili during weigh-ins for UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

These two featherweights could potentially combine for a Fight of the Night performance at UFC Seattle, and I have to give the edge to the longtime UFC veteran in Fili to win back-to-back fights for the first time since 2019.

(Pick: Fili)

Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Nick Klein

Mansur Abdul-Malik is carrying a significant amount of hype following his UFC debut. | (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

This matchup really won’t answer any questions about Abdul-Malik’s future in the UFC, but the 27-year-old should be able to preserve his 100% finishing rate at the expense of the debuting Klein.

(Pick: Abdul-Malik)

Ricky Simon vs. Javid Basharat

Javid Basharat before his fight with Victor Henry at UFC 294. | (Craig Kidwell/USA TODAY Sports)

This is one of the underrated matchups on this card, and with Simon currently on a three-fight skid this looks like a good spot for Basharat to rebound from the first loss of his career.

(Pick: Basharat)

Israel Adesanya pays respect to retiring Dustin Poirier for legendary feat

Austin Vanderford vs. Nikolay Veretennikov

Austin Vanderford previously fought for the middleweight belt during his lengthy run with Bellator. | (Bellator MMA)

This matchup was a surprise addition to UFC Seattle, and while I’m not sure how high he’ll be able to climb in the promotion I will side with Vanderford to pick up a win in his Octagon debut.

(Pick: Vanderford)

Nursulton Ruziboev vs. Eric McConico

Joaquin Buckley fights Nursulton Ruziboev during UFC Fight Night at Enterprise Center. | Jeff Le-Imagn Images

The matchmaking here feels a little strange given that Ruziboev is 2-1 in the UFC and is coming off a loss to now-ranked welterweight contender Joaquin Buckley, and the overall experience and competition gap don't bode well for the debuting McConico.

(Pick: Ruziboev)

Modestas Bukauskas vs. Raffael Cerqueira

Tyson Pedro fights Modestas Bukauskas during UFC 284 at RAC Arena. | Jasmin Frank-Imagn Images

Bukauskas has faced a significantly higher level of competition than Cerqueira, and as long as “The Baltic Gladiator” doesn’t get careless this is his fight to lose.

(Pick: Bukauskas)

MMA KO will be providing comprehensive coverage for UFC Fight Night Seattle all throughout fight week, and be sure to check back on our homepage for a preview of the event as well as live results and highlights on fight night.

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