Song Yadong stopped Umar Nurmagomedov in the UFC Shanghai main event last weekend in China.
Once Nurmagomedov hit the canvas, his brother and cornerman, Usman Nurmagomedov, stormed the cage and nearly clocked a sprinting Yadong with a flying elbow. It was a chaotic, heat-of-the-moment encounter that did not lead to any post-fight drama, but Usman failed to escape the social media lynch mob.
“He did not elbow him, let’s stop making conspiracy theories out there,” former UFC champion and current color
commentator, Daniel Cormier, said on his YouTube channel. “He did not elbow him, and he did not attack Song Yadong. What he did was try to get to his brother. Now, that in itself is not allowed. We are not allowed to do that. But if there’s anyone that you care about immensely and you want to try to rush to their side in that moment, it is your brother — blood brother, not a brother as in a friend that you love, not a cousin, not a relative. This is his actual brother. So he jumps to the Octagon, which is not allowed.”
Usman is expected to sign with UFC at some point later this year.
“But if there’s anytime that someone will deal on emotion, you would think that it was this,” Cormier continued. “The reason they don’t let people jump is because of the things that happened with Khabib (Nurmagomedov) and Conor (McGregor), and all those other things [at UFC 229]. They cannot control whenever the situation gets chaotic, and that’s why Usman cannot do that. But again, I am more inclined to give him a bit of grace because you watch your brother get starched in that way. But he’s not the first brother to get beat. Obviously, he needs to learn how to handle that a little bit better if it is to ever happen again.”
Former UFC welterweight title challenger and current BKFC bruiser, Darren Till, was irked by Cormier’s nonstop glazing of the Nurmagomedovs, which continued with “DC’s” post-Shanghai assessment of Umar.
“For as much credit as Song Yadong gets for the result, I believe that we should give credit to Umar for fighting, and also for trying to live up to the name that he carries,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “It’s very difficult when you’re getting attacked by just about everybody for people saying you got favoritism because of Khabib who came before you. It’s very difficult to operate at that elite level whenever you have to live up to the name that he carries, to be the guy who is seen as the next guy when you’re coming behind Khabib and Islam. That’s difficult. Umar always tried to step up and do that. That’s crazy, and Usman is going to deal with the same thing as his career goes forward. Umar is still 20-2. It’s not like his career is over, and it should not take long for him to work himself back into this position.”
Umar slipped to No. 5 in the official bantamweight rankings.
“Why is DC always on the defensive of the Nurmagomedovs? Baffles me,” Till wrote on social media. “You as a company man should he shouldn’t have stormed the Octagon like that. The guy is celebrating his big knockout against a huge name. But somehow you have found a way to defend him you little potato head. Why why why? I am going to be honest as much as I think you are one of the best fighters ever in the UFC. The way you are as a company man and the views are fucking shit. Stop commentating and go and be an ambassador for fat camp you fucking potato man constantly finding excuses for that side you little potato.”
UFC CEO Dana White told MMA Junkie that Usman “crossed the line” with his cage jump. That said, don’t expect any repercussions following UFC Shanghai since nobody got hurt and the situation did not escalate.
For more UFC Shanghai news and results click here.
