Song Yadong’s uppercut knockout of Umar Nurmagomedov headlined UFC Shanghai. Then Umar’s brother Usman Nurmagomedov stole the spotlight with negative attention for rushing into the cage after seeing his brother lose consciousness, colliding with a celebrating Song Yadong.
Climbing the cage fence to reach his sibling and eventually appearing to elbow Song while he was celebrating led to endless chatter online. With rumors circulating that the UFC was interested in signing Usman, many on social media claimed that White should penalize him. Days later, Dana White broke his silence on the controversial incident.
Dana White Says Usman Nurmagomedov Crossed Line
Following the heavy backlash online, Usman addressed his critics after the elbow incident. He bluntly told people to calm down and denied trying to hit the UFC Shanghai main event winner. He essentially added that if he wanted to hit Yadong, then he would not have thought to stop himself in the middle.
But his clarification didn’t end the chatter. In the Contender Series press conference, a reporter asked the UFC CEO whether Usman crossed a line, and White didn’t hesitate to clarify that he did break the rule.
The 57-year-old said, “Yeah, what do you mean by how he reacted? He definitely did (cross a line)… I would agree with that.”
Dana White believes Usman Nurmagomedov “crossed the line” by jumping in the cage after Umar’s loss 😬
“He definitely did [cross the line].” pic.twitter.com/9mRJEh8jyF
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) September 2, 2026
Under the Unified Rules of MMA, cornermen cannot enter the cage until an official opens the door. Usman jumped the fence before that happened, breaking the rule regardless of his intent. Because China has no government-sanctioned combat sports regulator, UFC Shanghai operated without a traditional athletic commission.
Mixed Reactions Following Usman Nurmagomedov’s Cage Jump
Yadong pulled off the biggest upset of the year at UFC Shanghai, knocking out Umar in the second round with a devastating right uppercut. The stunning finish handed the former title challenger the first knockout loss of his professional career.
Recently, Song showed no hard feelings regarding Usman’s instinctive elbow move during his celebration. He said, “Watching the slow motion, it looked like he was turning around to throw an elbow or something. But actually, I understand because they are brothers, you know?”
🙌🗣️ Song Yadong speaks on Usman Nurmagomedov jumping the cage, he believes Usman did NOT intend on maliciously attacking him:
“Watching the slow motion, it looked like he was turning around to throw an elbow or something, but actually I understand because they are brothers,…
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) September 1, 2026
However, it wasn’t Usman’s first cage jump. He did the same after Islam Makhachev’s win at UFC 302. Recalling the moment, Hall of Famer Chris Weidman said, “He should be in trouble, 100 percent, from the commission for jumping the cage and acting like that… It’s something he’s done before. When Islam Makhachev won, he immediately jumped the cage, so that can’t be allowed. You can’t just have people jumping in the cage every time you win or lose.”
Here, the timing of this controversy matters beyond optics. Usman is unbeaten with a perfect 22-0 record. He is in an open negotiating window after turning down a reported $2 million PFL offer, with UFC interest already on the table. It remains to be seen whether White will offer him a contract or not after this controversy.
