Earlier tonight at UFC Shanghai, Song Yadong proved the oddsmakers wrong by sending Umar Nurmagomedov to the shadow realm. He handed the Russian fighter his second professional MMA loss and derailed Umar’s hopes of earning a title shot next.
Round 1 of this bantamweight clash was a busy one for both fighters. After brief striking exchanges, Umar shot for a takedown and secured top control. Song briefly threatened his neck, but Nurmagomedov escaped the submission attempt.
Song then successfully returned to his feet before the round concluded.
In Round 2, Song did an excellent job stuffing Umar’s takedown attempts. A frustrated Umar shot for another takedown in the second half of the round, but Song defended it perfectly and landed an uppercut that instantly put Umar to sleep.
The Chinese fighter followed up with a few ground-and-pound shots before the referee stepped in to stop the fight.
Official decision: Song Yadong defeated Umar Nurmagomedov in Round 2 (1:48) via KO
In his post-fight interview, Song Yadong called for a title shot next and vowed to become the first male UFC champion from China.
