Song Kenan ensured the continuation of his run in the UFC by putting Ricky Glenn’s one foot out of the promotion as a result of handing the latter his third straight loss in the promotion. In the second match of the UFC 305 prelims, the Chinese Welterweight earned his sixth victory in the Octagon by defeating the 35-year-old fighter by 30–27, 30–27, and 29–28 unanimous decision on the judges’ scorecards.

Not only did Kenan dominate his opponent through hard-hitting shots, but he defended thirteen of fifteen takedowns throughout the three rounds. With this result, Kenan, who joined the UFC in 2017, secured a promotional record of six wins and four losses. Despite winning his last bout via decision, Song Kenan is nicknamed ‘The Assassin.’ But why is he called that? Ahead of his much-awaited fight against Muslim Salikhov at UFC Fight Night, Macau, let’s take a closer look at Kenan’s moniker.

Why is Song Kenan called ‘The Assassin’?

Song Kenan received the nickname ‘The Assassin’ from one of his coaches, who thought it best suited his fighting style. With a professional MMA record of 22 wins and eight losses, the Chinese fighter has shown his ability by winning nine via KO/TKO, and nine more via submission. With only four decision wins, Kenan proves that he likes to finish the task at hand like every professional fighter rather than leave it to the judges’ scorecards.

Has Song Kenan lived up to his nickname?

Kenan made his professional mixed martial arts debut back in July 2014, winning his first eight fights, with six of these wins via submission. The rear-naked choke became the favorite tool from his arsenal, followed by the Guillotine choke, which he used to defeat opponents such as Gerhard Voigt, Makeshate Sailike, and Habiti Tuerxunbieke.

‘The Assassin’ experienced a minor setback, losing two of his next three fights, including one against former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. However, he made a massive comeback with another set of six straight wins. But soon, the winning streak was followed by another two losses. With his fifteenth win via a rare scissor choke in February 2017, Song Kenan secured his spot in the UFC, establishing himself as a fighter to watch out for. He won his first two fights in the Dana White-led promotion by defeating the likes of Bobby Nash and Hector Aldana. However, he hasn’t been able to maintain the same dominance that he did in his early MMA run.

After losing out to Alex Morono, Kenan went on a two-fight win streak against Derrick Krantz and Callan Porter before falling to Max Griffin in the very first round in 2021. Another knockout defeat followed, this time against Ian Machado Garry before he went on to win two out of his next three fights. However, his four knockout losses also show his willingness to step into the fire, regardless of who his opponents are. It’s no wonder that the Chinese mixed martial artist carries a terrifying moniker to suit his fan-friendly fighting style.

Now at UFC Fight Night Macau, ‘The Assassin’ might be setting his sights on eliminating Muslim Salikhov, going on yet another two-fight win streak. But what do you think? Will he be able to win the fight? Let us know in the comments.