Song Yadong scores KO over Umar Nurmagomedov in Shanghai

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Saturday’s UFC event in Shanghai, China was headlined by a bantamweight bout between No. 2 ranked Umar Nurmagomedov and No. 6 ranked Song Yadong.

Nurmagomedov, a former title challenger, had put together back-to-back wins since losing in to Merab Dvalishvili in a championship bout at UFC 311 in January 2025. It’s the lone loss on the Russian’s impressive resume.

Song entered Saturday’s main event coming off a submission win over former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo. A won over the No. 2 ranked contender would put Chinese fighter in the title discussion.

They touched gloves and song took the center of the cage. Nurmagomedov circled on the outside. He stepped in with a leg kick and Song answered with a counter right hand. Each pawed with their jab. Nurmagomedov caught a leg kick and took Song down. Song applied a guillotine choke but Nurmagomedov defended the submission attempt. Nurmagomedov stayed heavy on top in the center of the octagon. He moved to half guard. Song scrambled to his feet but didn’t do much after. MMAWeeekly scored the round 10-9 for Nurmagomedov.

They touched gloves to start the second frame. Song again took the center of the cage. They exchanged leg kicks. Nurmagaomedov shot for a takedown and Song stuffed the attempt. Nurmagomedov partially connected with a head kick. He landed a stiff jab. Song found a home with an uppercut. He connected with a right hand and knocked Nurmagomedov out. The official time of the finish was 1:48 of the second round.