“He just got caught”: Henry Cejudo backs Umar Nurmagomedov to beat Song Yadong nine out of 10 times

Umar Nurmagomedov’s brutal knockout loss to Song Yadong in the main event of UFC Shanghai has split the MMA community. Many called it a lucky punch, while others claimed Yadong exploited Umar's weakness that he might have noticed while studying for the fight. 

Recently, former UFC double champion Henry Cejudo weighed in on the ongoing discussion and shared his thoughts on Umar's knockout loss. 

Henry Cejudo dismisses Song Yadong’s upset and backs Umar Nurmagomedov

The brutal knockout occurred in the second round when Umar attempted to close the distance for a takedown. Yadong read the entry perfectly and fired a right uppercut that caught the ‘Young Eagle’ behind the ear, immediately sending the Dagestani contender crashing to the canvas. The Chinese fighter followed up with ground-and-pound strikes before the referee stepped in to stop the fight.

Cejudo, however, believes the finish was less about Yadong exposing a major weakness and more about Umr simply getting caught at the wrong moment.

The former UFC two-division champion, Cejudo, discussed with Kamaru Usman in the latest edition of their Pound 4 Pound podcast. ‘Triple C’ dismissed on Yadong's knockout and has boldly claimed that Umar will get the job done 9 out of 10 times against the Chinese fighter. 

“He just got caught, bro. This is just a game of getting caught. I think nine out of ten times Umar gets it done and whatever he wants to in my opinion,” Cejudo said.

Cejudo emphasized that Umar’s got caught and raised about the Dagestani’s weight cut and whether it could have played a role in how he reacted to Yadong’s right uppercut.

“This is just one of those times, this is one of those fights where, legit, you just get caught on the spot and that's it. My question is though for like Umar, whenever he's cutting too much weight or a little overthrown because that right uppercut did land but sometimes we don't when you don't have that much water in your brain bro like things could kind of go off there,” Cejudo added.

Check out Henry Cejudo’s comments below: 

Cejudo isn’t alone as more fighters dismiss Song Yadong’s stunning finish of Umar Nurmagomedov

Cejudo is not the only one who dismissed Yadong's knockout as a lucky punch; former UFC fighter Zabit Magomedsharipov feels the same. Magomedsharipov had said that Umar was well prepared and that it was just bad luck. 

Javier Mendez and Daniel Cormier also believe the same. That said, it won't change the result of the fight. Umar has to deal with the loss, and it adds extra weight, as it was his first knockout loss. It will be interesting to see how he will bounce back from such a huge setback.