Preview: UFC Fight Night 233 ‘Song vs. Gutierrez’

The Ultimate Fighting Championship makes one last unexpected stop at the UFC Apex in 2023, and given the circumstances, UFC Fight Night 233 provides a surprisingly strong main card on Saturday in Las Vegas. This was initially targeted to be the company’s return to Shanghai, and once those plans fell through, the lineup remained mostly intact. Yadong Song and Chris Gutierrez still headline festivities in an intriguing bantamweight tilt, and the light heavyweight co-main event pitting Anthony Smith against Khalil Rountree was a welcome late addition. The return of top flyweight prospect Su Mudaerji in a compelling test against Tim Elliott up at 135 pounds also stands out, as does middleweight Jun Yong Park’s most significant opportunity to date against Andre Muniz.

Now to the UFC Fight Night “Song vs. Gutierrez” preview:

Bantamweights

#7 BW | Yadong Song (20-7-1, 9-2-1 UFC) vs. #15 BW | Chris Gutierrez (20-5-2, 8-2-1 UFC)

ODDS: Song (-380), Gutierrez (+300)

While a bit disappointing that he will not get an opportunity to hold serve on home soil, it is still good to see Song get a main event spot to keep showing off his wares. Song was lost in the shuffle a bit when the UFC signed a number of Chinese prospects for a Shanghai card back in 2017, but he quickly announced himself with a first-round win over Bharat Khandare and rocketed up the ranks from there. After getting a few showcase fights on cards in Asia, Song’s stateside debut saw him absolutely obliterate Alejandro Perez with a brutal knockout. Since then, it has seemingly been a matter of when, not if, Song can string together the wins to put him into title contention. After the Perez victory, Song was on the greater radar enough that opponents were able to maneuver around his strengths. Cody Stamann managed to outwrestle him enough to find a draw, and Kyler Phillips stuck to a range-heavy game plan that allowed him to eke out a decision; both men took Song out of the counter-heavy pocket striking game where he was at his best. That overall outline is still true of Song’s game, but he has made some minor adjustments that have led to some massive gains, thanks to his explosive power and athleticism. Song might still take a bit to feel his opponents out, but he has proven to be a dedicated pressure power puncher once he gets going. Song still needs some depth to find his way into the bantamweight elite—Cory Sandhagen put together a masterfully diverse performance to stay ahead of him in a main event late in 2022—but a dominant April win over Ricky Simon in another headliner was a reminder of just how much talent it takes to compete with the “Kung Fu Kid.”

Gutierrez steps up to the plate to challenge Song, earning a much-deserved main event spot after a slow climb up a deep bantamweight division. After dropping his UFC debut to Raoni Barcelos in 2019, it was easy to ignore “El Guapo,” even as he kept racking up wins. While Gutierrez was highly successful, he found those victories on the back of a neutralizing style that relied on leg kicks to chop down his opponents. However, 2022 turned into a breakout campaign, as Gutierrez finally learned how to weaponize his defensive skill and eye for range into some effective offense, blasting Batgerel Danaa and Frankie Edgar for some highlight-reel knockouts to end the year as a potential contender. An April loss to Pedro Munhoz looks to have been a frustrating setback. Munhoz found some early offensive success, and that seems to have been enough to put Gutierrez back into his shell. He coasted out the rest of the fight, then reverted back to his neutralizing ways in a win over Heili Alateng in October. He is still a tricky test for Song, as he will rack up offense in a vacuum. With that said, this looks like another opportunity for Song to prove that he has gotten past some of his previous issues. Once Song has his reads and starts moving forward, he should have the speed and explosiveness to land some big strikes that should win rounds, if not end the fight entirely. Given that both men are most comfortable on the counter, it might not be particularly pretty, but it is a well-matched fight. The pick is Song via decision.

Jump To »
Song vs. Gutierrez
Rountree vs. Smith
Elliott vs. Mudaerji
Haqparast vs. Mullarkey
Park vs. Muniz
Jousset vs. Song
The Prelims