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Song Yadong delivers a stunning upset
Song Yadong has made a major statement at UFC Shanghai.
Fighting in front of his home crowd at the SPD Bank Oriental Sports Center, the Chinese bantamweight contender stopped No. 2 ranked Umar Nurmagomedov by knockout in the second round of the main event.
The official result came at 1:48 of Round 2, with Song finishing Nurmagomedov with a right uppercut. The victory gives Song one of the biggest wins of his UFC career and puts him firmly into the conversation at the top of the bantamweight division.
Nurmagomedov entered the contest looking to secure another opportunity at UFC gold. The highly regarded Russian had already challenged for the bantamweight championship and hoped a victory over Song would strengthen his case for another title shot.
Instead, Song produced a result that could completely change the direction of the division.
Nurmagomedov controlled the opening round
The first round appeared to follow the script many expected before the fight.
Nurmagomedov mixed his wrestling and striking effectively, using his grappling to take Song down and establish control on the ground. He also managed the distance well, preventing Song from consistently finding the range needed to unleash his dangerous striking.
The Russian’s ability to combine takedowns with positional control gave him an early advantage.
Song needed to find a way to prevent Nurmagomedov from repeatedly dictating where the fight took place. The Chinese contender had the striking ability to change the fight with one clean connection, but he needed to create opportunities against one of the division’s strongest grapplers.
That opportunity arrived in the second round.
Song Yadong finds the shot that changes everything
Nurmagomedov attempted to continue using the same approach in the second round, but Song caught him with a perfectly timed right uppercut.
The punch landed cleanly and immediately changed the fight. Nurmagomedov was knocked out, bringing the main event to an abrupt conclusion at 1:48 of the second round.
It was a dramatic turnaround after Nurmagomedov had looked comfortable during the opening five minutes.
For Song, the victory demonstrated why his striking remains such a major threat at 135 pounds. He stayed patient despite spending portions of the first round defending Nurmagomedov’s grappling and waited for an opportunity to punish the Russian when he committed. The result also gives Song a significant win over one of the highest ranked fighters in the division.
A major setback for Nurmagomedov
The loss represents a significant setback for Nurmagomedov.
The Russian entered Shanghai as one of the UFC’s leading bantamweight contenders and was looking to move closer to another championship opportunity. His previous UFC defeat came against Merab Dvalishvili, making the loss to Song another obstacle in his pursuit of the title.
Nurmagomedov’s wrestling remains one of the division’s most difficult problems, but Song demonstrated that even an elite grappler can be vulnerable when entering striking exchanges. The result could force Nurmagomedov to take another fight before returning to the title picture.
Denise Gomes makes a huge statement
The co main event produced another major upset.
No. 14 ranked Denise Gomes stopped No. 4 ranked Yan Xiaonan in the first round, earning a TKO victory at 4:49.
Gomes immediately applied pressure and connected with several punches before Yan managed to respond with combinations of her own. Near the end of the opening round, however, Gomes landed a powerful elbow that dropped Yan before she finished the fight with ground and pound.
The victory could push Gomes into the top five of the women’s strawweight rankings and represents the biggest result of her UFC career.
Asakura continues his bantamweight rise
Kai Asakura also continued his resurgence at 135 pounds.
After losing his first two UFC appearances at flyweight, Asakura has now won two consecutive fights since moving to bantamweight. He stopped Aoriqileng in the second round after landing a head kick and following up with ground and pound.
The finish came just 34 seconds into the second round. Asakura’s latest victory strengthens his case for a place inside the UFC bantamweight rankings.
Hasan shines in his UFC debut
Bilal Hasan made an immediate impression in his UFC debut, knocking out previously undefeated Nilson Rojas in the second round.
The fight featured two unbeaten prospects, but Hasan’s quick footwork and striking eventually proved decisive. He stopped Rojas with a well placed right hand at 2:28 of Round 2.
Hasan had earned his UFC contract after a 45 second knockout on Dana White’s Contender Series earlier in August.
Tsuruya records another first round submission
Rei Tsuruya continued to establish himself as an exciting prospect in the flyweight division.
The 24 year old Japanese fighter defeated Kevin Borjas by rear naked choke in the first round at 4:14. The victory marked Tsuruya’s third UFC win and his second consecutive first round submission.
Tsuruya has now won three of his four UFC appearances, with his only defeat coming by unanimous decision against current champion Joshua Van.
UFC Shanghai Full Results
Main Card
- Song Yadong def. Umar Nurmagomedov – KO, right uppercut – Round 2, 1:48
- Denise Gomes def. Yan Xiaonan – TKO, elbow and punches – Round 1, 4:49
- Kai Asakura def. Aoriqileng – TKO, punches – Round 2, 0:34
- Sumudaerji def. Alex Perez – Unanimous decision – 29 to 28, 29 to 28, 29 to 28
- Liu Ce def. Levi Rodrigues Jr. – KO, punch – Round 1, 4:26
- Bilal Hasan def. Nilson Rojas – KO, punch – Round 2, 2:28
Preliminary Card
- Andre Lima def. Namsrai Batbayar – Submission, guillotine choke – Round 3, 3:03
- Rei Tsuruya def. Kevin Borjas – Submission, rear naked choke – Round 1, 4:14
- Sean Woodson def. Jack Jenkins – Split decision – 29 to 28, 28 to 29, 29 to 28
- Francesco Nuzzi def. Xiao Long – TKO, punches – Round 1, 1:00
- Hector Santiago def. Lawrence Lui – KO, punches – Round 2, 0:53
- Julia Polastri def. Xiong Jingnan – KO, head kick – Round 1, 3:06
- Cam Nelson def. Ding Meng – Unanimous decision – 29 to 28, 29 to 28, 29 to 28
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