HOUSTON – Casey Kenney is expecting a thrilling back-and-forth contest with Song Yadong.
Kenney (16-3-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC) meets Yadong (16-5-1 MMA, 5-1-1 UFC) in the main card opener of UFC 265 on Saturday, where he’ll look to regain his momentum from his loss to former champion Dominick Cruz.
The 30-year-old, who had a strong 2020, sees a lot of similarities between former opponent Nathaniel Wood and Yadong, where Kenney was able to outlast Wood to earn the “Fight of the Night” bonus.
“If you’ve ever watched either of us fight, no words really need to be said,” Kenney told MMA Junkie at Wednesday’s UFC 265 media day. “We’re going to meet in the middle and throw down.”
He continued, “This one reminds me of the Nathaniel Wood fight. Everyone talked about it, and it lived up to the hype. I think this one is gonna be exactly the same. The way I fight, if you survive, it’s probably gonna be ‘Fight of the Night.’ If I put you away, I’m probably trying to grab a bonus here.”
UFC 265 takes place Saturday at Toyota Center in Houston. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN 2 and ESPN+.
Watch the full pre-fight interview with Kenney in the video above.