Umar Nurmagomedov Sends Defiant Message After Brutal Song Yadong KO

9-1. That was Umar Nurmagomedov’s UFC record heading into UFC Shanghai. His only blemish had come against Merab Dvalishvili, a hard-fought decision loss that left the Dagestani determined to get another shot at “The Machine.” Then Song Yadong came along and flipped the script on its head.

The Chinese phenom added another top contender to his list of victims, putting Nurmagomedov away with a brutal knockout and sending his plans for a rematch with Dvalishvili up in smoke. It was the kind of loss that can leave a fighter searching for answers. Surprisingly or unsurprisingly, Nurmagomedov isn't dwelling on it. Fresh off his devastating knockout loss, the 30-year-old has broken his silence with a message that sounds less like an excuse and more like a vow. 

Umar Nurmagomedov's Gameplan Wrecked by Song Yadong

Khabib Nurmagomedov was coaching his cousin from the corner, with Umar’s younger brother Usman Nurmagomedov beside him. For all the experience gathered in that corner, though, there was little they could do once Song found his opening in round two. 

Umar (20-2-0) had won his previous two fights since losing to Dvalishvili, putting together victories over former champion Deiveson Figueiredo and Mario Bautista while positioning himself for another run at the bantamweight title. A win over Song could have kept the door open for a title shot. Instead, one perfectly timed uppercut changed everything.

The “Kung fu Kid” caught the Dagestani with a crushing right uppercut behind the ear in the second round before swarming with follow-up punches and hammerfists. The knockout was not only the second professional defeat of Umar's career, his first knockout loss in the UFC.

Umar Nurmagomedov Vows to Learn from Shanghai Defeat 

Yet despite the crushing loss, there was no bitterness in Nurmagomedov’s first message afterward. He wrote on Instagram, “I’m doing fine. Alhamdulillah. A huge thank you to everyone who is writing. I’ll learn from my mistakes. And I’ll be back.” 

Instead of pointing fingers or making excuses, the 30-year-old acknowledged that there are mistakes to correct and, most importantly, made it clear that he intends to return. Reflecting on the same, “The Eagle” echoed that sentiment, offering the bantamweight some perspective after the setback.

“Keep your head up junior. Yesterday you showed that you're one of the best in the world. At the moment we have a lot to work on. We will work on our mistakes and return to the title fight,” the former lightweight champion wrote.

Yadong's Statement After the Biggest Win of His Career

The night might’ve ended disastrously for the Dagestani, but for Yadong, it could hardly have gone better. Despite what some experts expected, the Chinese contender was the man standing at the end of UFC Shanghai, having just dismantled one of the division’s most feared grapplers.

But the 28-year-old did what few fighters have managed to do against Nurmagomedov. He kept the fight standing when it mattered and found the perfect opening. He caught his opponent dipping and connected with a thudding uppercut. That sealed the deal.  

“Amazing, I'm feeling amazing, you know. I feel like this is the best moment in my life right now,” Yadong said during the post-fight interview. “I knocked out Umar. Everybody's saying he's the best fighter, he has very good grappling, everyone's saying he's the future champion. See! What happened? I knocked him out! I'm so proud of myself.”

In fact, for Yadong, the knockout win has already got the division shook, got his name firmly in the title picture and a big fat paycheck plus the Performance of the Night  bonus.