The bout went the full distance, with the judges’ five-round unanimous decision scores of 50-44 and 50-45 twice giving the win to Song, who dominated his opponent in both the standup and the ground-and-pound.
Despite the defeat, the fight did not look like a one-sided beating, as Gutierrez was clearly not looking to win the fight, but to take the fight with the least amount of risk and minimize the damage, which he successfully did, preventing Song from doing any serious damage to himself.
In a post-fight interview, Song Yadong confirmed his willingness to share the octagon with Russia’s Petr Yan, who plans to compete at UFC 299 on March 9.
In the event’s second event, American welterweight Khalil Rountree made a serious bid for a top-10 ranking, spectacularly finishing eighth-ranked Anthony Smith by TKO in the third round.
Other results include early wins for Nasrat Hakparast, Tim Elliott, Yoon Sung-Pak, Steve Garcia and Tatsuro Taira.
All results from UFC Fight Night 233.