Umar Nurmagomedov recently suffered the biggest setback of his career when he was knocked out by Song Yadong at UFC Shanghai. Heading into the event, the Dagestani was a massive -600 favorite and was expected to move one step closer to another bantamweight title opportunity.
However, Yadong pulled off the upset, becoming the first fighter to knock out Nurmagomedov and handing him just the second loss of his 22-fight MMA career. The finish came 1:48 into the second round when Yadong landed a clean right uppercut that caught Nurmagomedov flush on the side of his head.
The Chinese contender followed it up with several more punches before the referee stepped in to stop the fight. Now, just over a month later, Nurmagomedov’s comeback has been made official, although it will not come inside the UFC Octagon. Instead, the Dagestani is heading back to the wrestling mats.
Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Urijah Faber Set for RAF Abu Dhabi
Nurmagomedov is set to make his RAF debut against Urijah Faber on November 14 in Abu Dhabi, with promotion officials announcing the matchup on Friday. The event will take place at Etihad Arena.
Nurmagomedov will be looking to shake off his knockout loss, while Faber will be chasing his first RAF victory. The former UFC title challenger most recently lost to Henry Cejudo by technical fall at RAF 6 in February before suffering another defeat against Arman Tsarukyan at RAF 8 in April.
THIS MATCH 🤯
Umar Nurmagomedov vs Urijah Faber on NOV 14 at Etihad Arena for #RAFABUDHABI
Tickets on sale now at the link in bio. pic.twitter.com/ss0JRtRI6e
— Real American Freestyle (@RAFWrestlingUSA) October 2, 2026
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Before the loss to Yadong, Nurmagomedov had been putting together a strong run. His only previous defeat came against Merab Dvalishvili in a close decision at UFC 311, where he challenged for the 135-pound title. He bounced back with consecutive wins over Mario Bautista and Deiveson Figueiredo before running into Yadong in Shanghai.
Now, Nurmagomedov will get a chance to return to competition and sharpen his wrestling against one of the sport’s longtime veterans. It will be interesting to see what kind of shape the Dagestani is in when he steps onto the mats in Abu Dhabi. The RAF event will be headlined by Colby Covington and Khamzat Chimaev, who will compete for the RAF cruiserweight crossover title.
Kshitiz Kumar Singh is a UFC Writer at NY Fights with over three years of experience in sports journalism and content creation. Known for his sharp storytelling and passion for combat sports, he has written in-depth features on stars like Brock Lesnar, Randy Couture, and Ilia Topuria. Before joining NY Fights, Kshitiz worked as a UFC Editor at EssentiallySports while currently serving as a WWE Editor at FirstSportz. His admiration for legends like Georges St-Pierre continues to inspire his detailed and engaging MMA coverage. Whether he’s covering the Octagon or the squared circle, Kshitiz is committed to delivering accurate, high-quality content. Outside the world of sports, he’s a dedicated cinephile, often found practicing monologues from his favorite Al Pacino films, combining his love for cinema with storytelling.
