“You’ll be back”: Belal Muhammad defends Umar Nurmagomedov after brutal Song Yadong KO
Belal Muhammad came to Umar Nurmagomedov’s defense after Song Yadong handed him the first knockout loss of his career at UFC Shanghai.
UFC Shanghai delivered a shocking result in its main event as Umar Nurmagomedov got brutally knocked out by Song Yadong in the second round, marking the first finish loss of Umar’s career.
This devastating defeat led to heavy trolling of Umar online, with fans taking aim at the former title challenger following the unexpected setback. However, former UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad came to the Dagestani’s defense and shared his thoughts.
Belal Muhammad comes to Umar Nurmagomedov’s defense after devastating UFC Shanghai loss
Umar was the heavy favorite entering the bout, given that he had only lost just once in his career, which came at the hands of arguably one of the best bantamweight fighters, Merab Dvalishvili. Since then, the Dagestani has collected two dominant decision wins.
After suffering a loss to Sean O’Malley, Yadong bounced back against Deiveson Figueiredo and submitted him. He entered the bout against Umar with a clear goal of winning and extending the win streak.
First round was competitive; Umar took Yadong down, but the Chinese was able to make it up to his feet. The round mostly stayed on the feet, with both fighters having little striking success, though nothing significant.
The tables were turned in the second round when Umar tried to grab Yadong’s leg; Yadong countered with a right hand that landed just behind the Dagestani star's ear, knocking him out cold. The ‘Kung Fu Kid' followed up with a few ground and pound shots. The referee stepped in to save the former challenger, who was unconscious.
The brutal knockout loss of Umar brought plenty of attention from fans and fighters across the MMA community. Among many reactions, one came from Muhammad.
The former welterweight champion, who shares a close relationship with Team Khabib, took to X to highlight Umar’s character outside the octagon and praised the bantamweight for being one of the most humble fighters in the sport while reminding him that setbacks are part of MMA.
“The thing I hate most about this result is knowing people will attack Umar and kick him while he’s down. He’s genuinely one of the quietest, humblest fighters you’ll ever meet. Keep your head up, brother. This sport has the highest highs and the lowest lows. You’ll be back,” Muhammad wrote on X account.
Check out Belal Muhammad’s X post below:
Umar believed that a win over Yadong would put him right in the title contention. Now that he lost the fight, he has to work back to cement himself for a title shot.
