Henry Cejudo and Song Yadong will reignite their rivalry, but this time it will be on the wrestling mats instead of the Octagon.

According to the latest update, Cejudo and Yadong are set to headline Real American Freestyle (RAF) 15 on November 28 at NOW Arena in Chicago, with Cejudo putting his RAF lightweight crossover championship on the line against the No. 2-ranked UFC bantamweight.

The matchup comes after Cejudo publicly challenged the Chinese UFC star to test his wrestling skills in RAF. Speaking to MMA Junkie last month, the Olympic gold medalist made it clear he was ready to welcome Yadong to the mats, even offering to put his championship on the line.

“I’d love to wrestle Song Yadong next. I know he’s got desire to wrestle in Real American Freestyle, and I would love to welcome him into Real American Freestyle,” Cejudo said. “Let’s put the belt on the line. Let’s do it in Miami; why not? He’s got a couple of weeks.”

The 39-year-old also accused Song of being a coward while pointing to the eye injury he sustained during their first UFC encounter, which cost Cejudo the fight.

“So, Song Yadong, I got a message for you—I got a message for you, coward: My eye is permanently damaged forever,” he added. “You got two weeks to get your a– ready for Real American Freestyle in Miami. I’m making it public right now.”

The pair faced off at UFC Seattle in February 2025, where an accidental eye poke from Song rendered Henry Cejudo unable to continue, forcing an early stoppage. Song Yadong went on to earn the technical decision victory as a result, while the former UFC bantamweight champion was left frustrated by the outcome. Now, more than a year later, he’ll have a chance to seek redemption for that loss on the wrestling mats, a place where he truly excels.

Since making the move to RAF, the former two-division champion has faced familiar names, including Urijah Faber and Merab Dvalishvili. ‘Triple C’ enters the matchup fresh off his second meeting with Dvalishvili, where he captured the RAF lightweight crossover championship by defeating Merab.

That title will be on the line against Yadong, who heads into the showdown after an impressive run in the UFC.

‘Kung Fu Kid’ heads into the matchup riding serious momentum after picking up back-to-back UFC main-event wins over Deiveson Figueiredo and Umar Nurmagomedov.

His latest victory was especially impressive, as he handed Khabib Nurmagomedov’s cousin just the second loss of his career following Umar’s competitive title-fight defeat to Merab Dvalishvili in early 2025.

Yadong sealed the deal with a crushing second-round knockout, putting a major dent in Umar Nurmagomedov’s championship hopes and adding another statement win to his resume.

The 28-year-old now faces a very different challenge in his RAF debut, taking on one of the most accomplished wrestlers ever to make the transition to MMA.

Henry Cejudo won Olympic gold in freestyle wrestling before becoming a UFC champion in two weight classes, giving him an elite wrestling resume. Yadong, on the other hand, built his foundation around Chinese Sanda and Shaolin kung fu, developing his skills at Enbo Fight Club rather than through a traditional collegiate wrestling system.

That difference surely adds another layer to the matchup. ‘Triple C’ brings years of elite international wrestling experience, while ‘Kung Fu Kid’ will have to adjust to a specialized grappling contest against an Olympic champion.

RAF 15 is also expected to feature several familiar names, including Donald Cerrone, Anthony Pettis, Raul Rosas Jr., and Cody Garbrandt. With Henry Cejudo’s championship on the line and unfinished business between the headliners, the November 28 event has a compelling main event that will also most likely stop calling all of the Chinese fighters’ wins a ‘fluke.’

Henry Cejudo questioned Song Yadong’s knockout win over Umar Nurmagomedov

Just last month, Henry Cejudo weighed in on Song Yadong’s recent win over Umar Nurmagomedov, and he isn’t entirely convinced the result tells the full story.

Despite ‘Kung Fu Kid’ scoring a spectacular second-round knockout, the former two-division UFC champion believes Nurmagomedov would come out on top in most rematches, arguing that the Dagestani fighter simply got caught at the wrong moment.

Speaking on his Pound 4 Pound podcast, ‘Triple C’ suggested the result was more about one costly mistake than a clear gap in overall ability.

“(Nurmagomedov) just got caught, bro,” Cejudo said, according to MMA Junkie. “This is just a game of getting caught. Sometimes you get caught. I think nine out of 10 times Umar gets it done in whatever (way) he wants to, in my opinion.

“This is just one of those times, one of those fights where, legit, you just get caught on the spot, and that’s it.”

The former two-division champion also raised questions about whether Nurmagomedov’s weight cut may have played a role in the defeat.

“I wonder if he’s cutting too much weight or a little overthrown. Because that right uppercut did land, but sometimes when you don’t have that much water in your brain, things can kind of go off in there,” he added.

However, Song Yadong’s win over Umar Nurmagomedov was about more than just landing one lucky punch. He defended a takedown, worked his way out of a bottom position, and chipped away with damaging body shots before unleashing the second-round uppercut that ended the fight.

His body work helped create the opening for the finishing blow, making it difficult to dismiss the result as nothing more than a lucky shot.

So, it seems like Henry Cejudo’s comments have added another talking point to Song Yadong’s impressive run, especially with their RAF showdown now on the calendar.

The matchup gives ‘Triple C’ a chance to put Yadong’s grappling to the test in a discipline where he has an Olympic gold medal and an elite resume. For Yadong, it’s an opportunity to answer the criticism on the mats and show what he can do against one of wrestling’s most accomplished names.