Song Yadong became the third UFC champion submitted by a Team Alpha Male guillotine. Urijah Faber previously finished Jens Pulver and Dominick Cruz with the technique. The team has recorded over 10 finishes with the guillotine across top promotions when including Chad Mendes and Joseph Benavidez.
Song Yadong claimed UFC gold on May 30, 2026, submitting Deiveson Figueiredo with a guillotine choke to become the latest champion finished by Team Alpha Male's signature technique.
The victory adds a new chapter to one of MMA's most storied team legacies. Urijah Faber, the 47-year-old California native who built Team Alpha Male into a Sacramento institution, carried the guillotine as something of a trademark during his career. Faber compiled a 35-11 record and attempted submissions at a rate of 0.8 per 15 minutes, finishing both Jens Pulver and Dominick Cruz with the same choke. His striking accuracy sat at 40 percent with 2.65 significant strikes landed per minute, but it was his grappling craft that left a lasting imprint on the team's culture.
Jens Pulver, the 51-year-old southpaw from the United States who carries a 27-19-1 record, was one of Faber's most notable guillotine victims. Dominick Cruz, the 41-year-old veteran fighting out of Alliance MMA with a 24-4 record, was another. Cruz averaged 3.91 significant strikes per minute across his career and was known primarily as a striker and movement technician, making his submission loss all the more striking as a demonstration of Faber's finishing ability.
Why it matters
- Song Yadong becomes the third UFC champion submitted by a Team Alpha Male guillotine, cementing the technique as one of the sport's most historically significant finishing sequences.
- The finish adds to a team tally that, when including Chad Mendes and Joseph Benavidez, surpasses ten guillotine finishes across top promotions.
- Figueiredo's defeat reshapes the divisional landscape, with a championship changing hands via submission.
