Song Yadong pulled off a massive upset in front of his home crowd in Shanghai. The Chinese fighter knocked out Umar Nurmagomedov in the second round of the main event at UFC Shanghai.
Nurmagomedov looked to secure a new title shot facing Song in Shanghai. For Song, it was a massive opportunity going into the fight, climbing his way to a title shot.
An Incredible Victory
Nurmagomedov looked to be in control in the first round by mixing up his grappling and striking, controlling his opponent on the ground, and keeping distance. Nurmagomedov tried to do the same in the second round, but Song punched the Russian fighter out of nowhere behind the ear, knocking out Nurmagomedov. A massive win for the Chinese fighter in Shanghai and a big setback for Nurmagomedov, who was looking to secure a title shot.
HE JUST KNOCKED OUT UMAR NURMAGOMEDOV!
A Massive Statement
Denise Gomes came to Shanghai as the No. 14-ranked fighter in the strawweight division to take on No. 4-ranked Yan Xiaonan. A big step-up in competition for the Brazilian and a massive opportunity. Gomes immediately put pressure on Yan, who was hit in the face a couple of times but managed to overcome adversity and string together a couple of good combinations herself.
The power elbow and follow up strikes put a stamp on an epic KO at #UFCShanghai!
Right before the end of the first round, Gomes landed a perfectly placed elbow on Yan. Yan went down and was finished by ground-and-pound. A massive statement against Yan and a possible top-5 ranked spot for Gomes.
Contender At Bantamweight
For the second time in a row, Kai Asakura has shown his real face in the UFC. The Japanese fighter who started with two losses in the flyweight division is now on a two-fight winning streak in the bantamweight division. Asakura took out Aoriqileng in the second round of their fight in Shanghai after landing a beautiful head kick and finishing the fight with ground and pound.
In the first round, Aoriqileng could match Asakura’s pressure, but in the second round, Asakura finished the fight quickly. The Japanese fighter is now on a two-fight winning streak and might look to break into the top 15 of the bantamweight division soon.
Spectacular Debutants
In a fight between two undefeated debutants, Bilal Hasan won his first fight in the UFC. The Indonesian fighter took on Nilson Rojas in a flyweight contest. Hasan won earlier this month during the Contender Series his contract with the UFC, and made his debut today. Rojas was signed as an undefeated prospect to take on Hasan in Shanghai.
Bilal Hasan gets the stunning KO in his UFC debut!
[ #UFCShanghai is LIVE NOW on @ParamountPlus ]
Hasan fought a solid fight with quick footwork and good striking. Rojas took lots of damage but showed great character and heart and gave Hasan a run for his money. Halfway through the second round, Hasan knocked out Rojas with a perfectly placed right punch. A great debut for the fighter from Indonesia.
Massive Potential
Rei Tsuruya showed again that he could be one of the future stars of the flyweight division. The 24-year-old Japanese fighter, who won the Road to UFC tournament in 2024, won his third fight in the UFC today. In a one-sided showdown, he defeated Kevin Borjas via rear-naked choke submission in the first round.
That’s back-to-back RD1 submissions for Tsuruya!
[ #UFCShanghai is LIVE NOW on @ParamountPlus ]
Tsuruya immediately initiated the grappling and dominated from the start. Borjas wasn’t able to make it a competitive fight. Tsuruya’s third win in four fights in the UFC. His only loss came via unanimous decision against current champion Joshua Van.
Full Results UFC Shanghai
Main Card
- Song Yadong def. Umar Nurmagomedov via KO (punch) – R2, 1:48.
- Denise Gomes def. Yan Xiaonan via TKO (elbow & punches) – R1, 4:49.
- Kai Asakura def. Aoriqileng via TKO (punches) – R2, 0:34
- Sumudaerji def. Alex Perez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
- Liu Ce def. Levi Rodrigues Jr. via KO (punch) – R1, 4:26.
- Bilal Hasan def. Nilson Rojas via KO (punch) – R2, 2:28.
Preliminary Card
- Andre Lima def. Namsrai Batbayar via submission (guillotine choke) – R3, 3:03
- Rei Tsuruya def. Kevin Borjas via submission (rear-naked choke) – R1, 4:14.
- Sean Woodson def. Jack Jenkins via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).
- Francesco Nuzzi def. Xiao Long via TKO (punches) – R1, 1:00.
- Hector Santiago def. Lawrence Lui via KO (punches) – R2, 0:53.
- Julia Polastri def. Xiong Jingnan via KO (headkick) – R1, 3:06.
- Cam Nelson def. Ding Meng via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
Song Yadong Brutally Knocks Out Umar Nurmagomedov in Shanghai