Song Yadong calls knocking out Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC Shanghai ‘the best moment of my life’

Song Yadong pulled off one of the biggest upsets in bantamweight history on Saturday at UFC Shanghai, knocking out rising contender Umar Nurmagomedov in the second round and vaulting himself into title contention at 135 pounds.

Song entered the bout as a heavy underdog against Nurmagomedov, who was widely regarded as the division's next champion and one of the sport's premier prospects. The Chinese fighter's gameplan, however, proved perfectly suited to the challenge. Working with his Team Alpha Male coaches and boxing trainer Rudy Hernandez, Song neutralized Nurmagomedov's vaunted grappling in the opening round, then capitalized on the second when Nurmagomedov shot for another takedown. Song timed a pristine uppercut as his opponent dropped his level, sending Nurmagomedov to the canvas and ending the fight.

"This is the best moment in my life," Song told UFC on Paramount+ immediately after his victory. "I knocked out Umar. Everybody's saying he's the best fighter and he has very good grappling. Everyone's saying he's a future champion. See what happened? I knocked him out." Song credited his boxing coach specifically for the game plan, noting that Hernandez had identified the uppercut counter before the fight even began.

The win marks Song's second consecutive victory following a January decision loss to Sean O'Malley and positions him squarely in the title picture. The bantamweight division's current landscape has champion Petr Yan set to face Merab Dvalishvili in a trilogy bout at UFC 333 in October, with O'Malley potentially next in line. Song's explosive performance likely lands him next for the winner. Notably, Song and Yan fought in 2024, a decision Yan captured—but Song believes he can reverse that result now. "I was too young; I was too rushed," Song reflected. "I feel like I lost by just a little bit. I can win that fight. If a rematch, I can also knock him out."