Song Yadong Deserves UFC Bantamweight Title Shot

Song Yadong (24-4-1, 1 NC MMA, 13-4-1 UFC) entered Saturday night's UFC Shanghai inside Oriental Sports Center in the Pudong District staking claim to the No. 6 ranking at 135 lbs. Song's adversary this last weekend of August was No. 3 contender Umar Nurmagomedov (20-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC.)

Nurmagomedov, the cousin of Khabib Nurmagomedov, was making the 10th walk to the fabled Octagon of his UFC tenure on Saturday night. Song Yadong was slated to have fought last month versus David Martinez before that contest was scrubbed due to the latter sustaining an injury. 

Although this main event was slated for a maximum of five rounds at five minutes per round to close out the evening's activities, Song Yadong needed less than two full periods to complete his assignment. During the first round of the fight, Nurmagomedov completed a takedown on Song, only for the latter to flip the script and make an effort at a guillotine choke before Nurmagomedov fought it off.

Song Yadong Seizes Control of Bout in Round Two

Not long after the command to fight was given to begin round two from referee Marc Godard, Umar Nurmagomedov stalked Song Yadong and connected on a kick to the leg. Song quickly returned fire with a kick of his own before Nurmagomedov threw a high kick and attempted another takedown. 

Song Yadong expertly defended against his opponent's attack, leading to Umar Nurmagomedov to try another high kick. Song's movement told the story in the second period, yielding to one final blow as he scored a nasty uppercut to complete a knockout victory.

"Song Yadong puts Umar Nurmagomedov to sleep!", exclaimed Brendan Fitzgerald, who was working UFC Shanghai as the blow-by-blow commentator. "Are you kidding me?"

Song Yadong Calls for UFC Bantamweight Title Shot in UFC Shanghai Post-Fight Interview

With the win on Saturday night in the UFC Shanghai main event, Song Yadong has now scored two victories in a row by way of stoppage. He also received a cash advance to the tune of $100,000 (USD) for the Performance of the Night Bonus.

Following the fight, the victorious Song made it clear that he believes his next fight should be for the UFC Bantamweight Championship.

"I want to say, who's next? Who's next?", Song Yadong told Brendan Fitzgerald, through his translator. "Uncle Dana, nobody believed me but this one! All my teammates believe me, and I trust myself, and I get the win!"

From there, Song made his opinion perfectly clear. 

"Give me the title shot!," he said.

Song Yadong Now Firmly in Title Picture

In MMA, sometimes just winning a fight on a given Saturday night isn't enough. It's how a competitor wins that carries more weight.

Going into UFC Shanghai on Saturday night, Song was facing a competitor in Umar Nurmagomedov who was three spots better than him in the rankings at 135. This main event was a crucial assignment for Song and his camp.

Anybody who either woke up early enough on Saturday morning inside the United States or stayed up all night and into the morning for UFC Shanghai saw what Song did. He passed his test with flying colors and took out a top-5 adversary.

There's no denying that Song Yadong is now within shouting distance of the UFC Bantamweight Championship after that contest, and there's also no denying this: Song Yadong should be the next man up to challenge for the strap at 135.