Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will once again venture away from the familiarity of its Meta Apex facility and ship its cast and crew across the world for the upcoming UFC Macau fight card, locked and loaded for tomorrow night (Sat., May 30, 2026) from inside Galaxy Arena in Macau, China, featuring a 135-pound headliner between No. 5-ranked contender Song Yadong and ex-flyweight titleholder Deiveson Figueiredo.
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Before we dive into the main and co-main event, which includes the 205-pound showdown between light heavyweight sluggers Alonzo Menifield and Zhang Mingyang, check out Andrew Richardson’s “X-Factor” breakdown for the rest of the UFC Macau main card by clicking here. Get all the latest “Song vs. Figueiredo” odds and betting props courtesy of FanDuel right here. For UFC Macau live results and play-by-play click here.
Let’s get down to business.
135 lbs.: Song Yadong vs. Deiveson Figueiredo
Song “Kung Fu Kid” Yadong
Record: 22-9-1, 1 NC | Age: 28 | Betting line: -600
Wins: 9 KO/TKO, 3 SUB, 10 DEC | Losses: 2 KO/TKO, 0 SUB, 6 DEC, 1 DQ
Height: 5’8” | Reach: 67” | Stance: Orthodox
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 4.42 | Striking accuracy: 43%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 3.94 | Striking Defense: 55%
Takedown Average: 0.78 (39% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 73%
Current Ranking: No. 5 | Last fight: Unanimous decision loss to Sean O’Malley
Deiveson “Deus da Guerra” Figueiredo
Record: 25-6-1 | Age: 38 | Betting line: +440
Wins: 9 KO/TKO, 9 SUB, 7 DEC | Losses: 2 KO/TKO, 1 SUB, 3 DEC
Height: 5’5“ | Reach: 68” | Stance: Orthodox
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 2.63 | Striking accuracy: 53%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 3.47 | Striking Defense: 49%
Takedown Average: 1.61 (35% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 57%
Current Ranking: No. 7 | Last fight: Unanimous decision loss to Umar Nurmagomedov
Song Yadong wants to be a championship contender and his Top 5 ranking would suggest he’s in the hunt for the 135-pound title. Unfortunately, every chance the “Kung Fu Kid” had to make a statement in the crowded bantamweight division, he came up short. Yadong is 3-3 across his last six with losses to Sean O’Malley, Petr Yan, and Cory Sandhagen. Granted, those are three of the best fighters in his weight class, but those are the kinds of opponents you’re tasked with facing at this level of competition and Yadong couldn’t get it done. I’m also not breaking out the party hats for decision wins over a washed Henry Cejudo or the unranked Chris Gutierrez. It’s also worth pointing out that Yadong has been fighting in UFC for nearly nine years so if he’s going to elevate himself above gatekeeper, it’s now or never. I know that sounds like a harsh criticism for a fighter who is still just 28 years old and likely competing in his athletic prime, but he’s also racked up more than 30 professional fights, so we have to consider mileage (ie wear and tear) as much as we do youth.
“Right now I’m a tough fighter, Top 5 UFC fighter in the world, I am proud of myself, but I need to get the f*cking belt,” Song told MMA Junkie. “That’s my goal. I need to work hard, win the f*cking fight. Every fight is very important for me, but this fight is big. It’s a fight in my hometown. I have to win. I have to win this fight. [Figueiredo is] a good guy. I met him in my last fight; we were on the same card. We trained together. He’s very friendly; I’m friendly. I feel nothing, no feelings. He’s a good guy. He’s a former flyweight champion. He’s always dangerous. Look who he lost to: Petr Yan, Umar, he lost to the best guys in the world. He’s still very dangerous and has more experience. I will be very serious in the fight.”
Deiveson Figueiredo is too big to compete at flyweight and too small to go all the way at bantamweight, one of those situations that led boxing to create 742 weight classes. The Brazilian got off a great start when he jumped to 135 pounds back in late 2023, capturing three straight wins over tough outs like Rob Font and Marlon Vera. Then it all fell apart and Figueiredo went on to drop three of his next four, with a close split decision over Montel Jackson serving as his only victory during that span. To be fair, Figueiredo was up against the best bantamweights in the world including Petr Yan and Umar Nurmagomedov, so there’s some forgiveness to be had in terms of his recent performances. The bigger concern for me is the Brazilian’s inability to finish fights, securing just one stoppage over the last six years against the shopworn Cody Garbrandt. Remember, this is the same fighter who started his UFC career with seven finishes in nine wins and now it’s just one decision after another. Perhaps that was the sacrifice to be made for the jump to a higher weight, though I can’t help but wonder if other factors (which shall remain nameless) are at play.
“Definitely a lot of things change in my life, not only in my mind,” Figueiredo told MMA Junkie. “I just need to do everything correctly. I’m a guy who used to step over the line and outside the line, and I just need to stay within the lines and do everything correctly and, like I said, make my way back to the title. It’s a new beginning right now. I need to do everything correctly right now and get back in the win column and keep making my way towards the belt. I feel 100 percent. My head is in the right place. I feel good, and everything is perfect actually. I’m going to be able to show my best version on Saturday.”
At flyweight, Figueiredo had advantages in both size and power, two attributes that did not follow him to the bantamweight division. His skill set has carried him this far but at age 38, I’m not sure there’s anywhere to go but down. Song will be the larger and in many ways fresher fighter and this is “Kung Fu Kid’s” fight to lose. Don’t be surprised to see the Brazilian stay competitive throughout all five rounds; but in the end, Song will have clearly controlled their contest for a sweep on the judges’ scorecards.
Prediction: Song def. Figueiredo by decision
205 lbs.: Alonzo Menifield vs. Zhang Mingyang
“Atomic” Alonzo Menifield
Record: 17-6-1 | Age: 38 | Betting line: +210
Wins: 10 KO/TKO, 3 SUB, 4 DEC | Losses: 4 KO/TKO, 0 SUB, 2 DEC
Height: 6’0“ | Reach: 76” | Stance: Orthodox
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 3.77 | Striking accuracy: 53%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 3.81 | Striking Defense: 50%
Takedown Average: 0.50 (31% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 78%
Current Ranking: No. 15 | Last fight: Knockout loss to Volkan Oezdemir
Zhang “Mountain Tiger” Mingyang
Record: 19-7 | Age: 27 | Betting line: -260
Wins: 13 KO/TKO, 6 SUB, 0 DEC | Losses: 4 KO/TKO, 2 SUB, 1 DEC
Height: 6’2“ | Reach: 75” | Stance: Orthodox
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 7.71 | Striking accuracy: 60%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 5.33 | Striking Defense: 43%
Takedown Average: 0.00 (0% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 75%
Current Ranking: Unranked | Last fight: Technical knockout loss to Johnny Walker
It’s been almost nine years since we first saw Alonzo Menifield on Season 1 of Dana White’s “Contender Series” back in summer 2017, a TKO loss (eye injury) that forced “Atomic” to try again on Season 2, where he steamrolled Dashawn Boatwright in just eight seconds. In the years that followed, Menifield would register 17 fights inside the Octagon with a 10-6-1 record and a spot in the Top 15 of the light heavyweight division. That said, the one-time Bellator bruiser has dropped three of his last five, getting obliterated in all three losses. He also turns 39 this fall, so I’m not expecting him to suddenly reverse course and make a run at the Top 5. His Muay Thai styled offense is nothing flashy but nevertheless effective and his kicks could prove to be a potent weapon against the hometown hero, assuming he remains upright long enough to implement them. Volkan Oezdemir and Carlos Ulberg both made it look easy against Menifield, who went down in flames in the opening round.
“There’s opportunities there in that area that Johnny Walker found and then for me, there’s others,” Menifield told UFC.com. “So, I’m excited to see and find out. He’s a first-round fighter. He fights hard. I’m excited. I think they call it a ‘Clash of the Titans.’ Expect us to go at it (and) entertain. I mean, I have experience in Australia, being not the hometown favorite. It’s like, ‘Alright, cool,’ you know? It allows me to get into it. So I’m excited. In a perfect world, he gets into his zone, and I catch him (and) put him away. Getting in the Top 10, getting a main event, a poster, you know? That’s what I’m aiming for, trying to get up there.”
Zhang Mingyang first appeared on Road to UFC back in June 2022, leveling George Tokkos by way of first-round knockout. That brought the 27-year-old “Mountain Tiger” to UFC, where he quickly racked up three first-round finishes and a spot in the division Top 15. Unfortunately, the Zhang bandwagon went careening off the side of a cliff against Johnny Walker at UFC Shanghai last August. It was a performance that looked as though Zhang had never seen a leg kick in his life, as the Brazilian easily chopped him down and pounded away until referee Marc Goddard intervened. Zhang is a striker by trade and clearly has knockout power but his defense has more holes in it than Junie Browning’s liver. It will be interesting to see what adjustments the Zhang camp made in the wake of his Walker loss because Menifield, an experienced Muay Thai practitioner, is definitely going for the legs — early and often. There’s no point in talking about their wrestling because neither fighter seems particularly interested in the ground game, based on what they’ve done thus far inside the cage.
“I would say the loss in my last fight is a very good experience,” Zhang told UFC.com. “Even now I still experience that. I can feel what the loss can bring to me. So, to me, you should see the loss in a positive way. You cannot see it in a negative way. So, I think it is a test in front of you. You can either be determined to be the one you want to be, and overcome the difficulties, or you just get crushed by the loss. You need to choose which way you want to be, and obviously I choose to be the first one. I need to move forward. I always prepare for a full [fight], either 15 minutes or 25 minutes. We never prepare for a first-round early finish. We have several different gameplans, so we prepare for anything, but if the chance comes up, whenever it is in the fight, I will catch it. So, maybe it’ll be an early finish, maybe it’ll be a three-round fight.”
I don’t like to use the word “exposed” or throw fighters like Zhang out the window after one loss but Walker made it look so easy there’s definitely cause for concern. Fortunately for Zhang, he’s facing a combatant at the tail end of his career who’s been knocked out in four of his six losses. I think if “Mountain Tiger” comes out like Alex Pereira did against Magomed Ankalaev in their championship rematch, Zhang wins by first round knockout. If he tries to play the waiting game, things could start to get ugly by the second stanza. Much like the UFC Macau main event, it’s much safer to side with youth in a contest that has a number of compelling variables.
Prediction: Zhang def. Menifield by knockout
Don’t forget to check out the rest of the UFC Macau main card predictions RIGHT HERE.
