Team Alpha Male guillotine pedigree on display as Song chokes out Garbrandt

Song Yadong submitted Cody Garbrandt by guillotine choke at UFC Macao on May 30, 2026, delivering a finish that echoed one of Team Alpha Male's most celebrated weapons and reinforcing the Sacramento gym's long-running reputation as a breeding ground for the technique.

Team Alpha Male was founded and long led by Urijah Faber, the 47-year-old American veteran who carries a professional record of 35-11. Standing five-foot-six with a 67-inch reach, Faber built his legacy in large part through submission grappling, averaging 0.8 submission attempts per 15 minutes across his career. Among his most notable finishes via guillotine were victories over Jens Pulver and Dominick Cruz, two opponents who defined the lighter divisions of their respective eras.

Pulver, 51, compiled a career record of 27-19-1 and fought as a southpaw out of five-foot-seven with a notably long 70-inch reach. Cruz, now 41, holds a 24-4 record and became one of the sport's most elusive champions, landing 3.91 significant strikes per minute across his career while relying on movement rather than submission offense.

Song Yadong's finish at UFC Macao adds another chapter to a Team Alpha Male guillotine legacy that the gym has built to more than ten top-level finishes with the technique.

Why it matters

• Song's finish reinforces Team Alpha Male's identity as a premier submission-finishing gym despite its reputation for developing well-rounded strikers
• The guillotine choke now sits alongside Faber's victories over Cruz and Pulver as defining moments in the gym's submission history
• The result carries divisional implications at bantamweight, where finishes over credentialed opponents carry significant ranking weight