Song Yadong pulled off the biggest upset of the year at UFC Shanghai on Saturday, knocking out Usman Nurmagomedov’s brother Umar Nurmagomedov in the second round with a devastating right uppercut. The stunning technical finish handed the former title challenger the first knockout loss of his professional career.
Following the shocking victory, the No. 6-ranked bantamweight fighter started a celebratory sprint around the cage. At one point, his path crossed directly with Umar’s brother, undefeated PFL lightweight champion, who had rushed through the cage door to check on his sibling.
Slow-motion replays showed Usman appear to load up a backward elbow, then pull it back before making contact. The MMA community split immediately, with critics calling on the UFC to reconsider signing Usman in the future after the video went viral. However, Usman later denied trying to strike Yadong using his elbow.
Usman Nurmagomedov Hits Back at Critics After Song Yadong Incident
Umar (20-2) entered the bout as a heavy betting favorite. His only other career defeat occurred in January 2025, when he lost a hard-fought decision to Merab Dvalishvili for the UFC Bantamweight Championship. In Shanghai, Song knocked him out cold late in the second round, handing Umar his first stoppage loss.
However, the viral cage incident led to endless chatter for two main reasons. First, athletic commission rules prohibit corner personnel from entering the cage until medical staff attends to a knocked-out fighter. By breaking this safety rule, Usman prompted a handful of critics to demand that commissions revoke his fighting license. Second, his near-collision with Yadong looked like an attempted strike.
Tired of the online criticism, the PFL champion took to Instagram to tell critics to calm down and directly denied trying to hit the UFC Shanghai main event winner.
“Only what is ordained for us will befall us. In any situation—Alhamdulillah. People make such a huge tragedy out of this; they really ought to calm down,” he wrote. “There are far worse things; you don’t need to think long—just look at what is happening in the world. And as for the claim that I supposedly wanted to hit his opponent… If I had wanted to, I would have hit him.”
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Then, he targeted his online critics directly, penning, “You spiteful, petty, and envious people—your problem is that you have never known, nor will you ever know, family love and understanding. If you don’t know what a brother means to a brother, then it is not me you should pity, but yourselves.”
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Despite the tension, sportsmanship prevailed inside the Octagon. Former undefeated UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, who was also in Umar’s corner, later greeted Yadong respectfully as the Chinese fighter called for the next bantamweight title shot.
What’s Next for Usman Nurmagomedov
Usman is currently MMA’s most valuable free agent after finishing his championship run with Bellator and the PFL. UFC CEO Dana White previously confirmed his interest in signing the undefeated lightweight. Industry insiders doubt this incident will ruin those contract talks.
Since the UFC ran this event in China without a standard athletic commission, the promotion must handle any review or punishment internally. Dana White celebrated the event’s financial success on social media but did not mention Usman’s actions. Some critics now accuse the UFC of giving the Nurmagomedov team a free pass.
