Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to Shanghai, China TODAY (Aug., 29, 2026) to stage UFC Shanghai from inside Shanghai Indoor Stadium. Headlining the Paramount+-streamed event will be a pivotal Bantamweight bout as Umar Nurmagomedov battles it out against Song Yadong. In the co-headlining bout, Xiaonan Yan and Denise Gomes collide in a Strawweight affair.
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UFC SHANGHAI CHEAT SHEET
What UFC event is on tonight? UFC Shanghai: “Umar vs. Song”
Who is fighting tonight at UFC Shanghai? Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Song Yadong
Bantamweight fight is the five-round main event.
What time does UFC Shanghai start? TODAY (Sat., Aug. 29, 2026), beginning at 3 a.m. ET on Paramount+.
Where will UFC Shanghai take place? Shanghai Indoor Stadium in Shanghai, China.
How can I watch UFC Shanghai? Paramount+ “Prelims” undercard matches are scheduled to begin at 3 a.m. ET on Paramount+, followed by the remaining main card balance on Paramount+ at 6 a.m. ET.
How do I bet on UFC Shanghai? Checkout the latest lines right hereand bet at FanDuel Sportsbook.
Where can I get UFC Shanghai updates and results? Get full UFC Sacramento play-by-play updates and live coverage here!
Now that we know UFC Bantamweight champion, Petr Yan, will defend his belt against former division king, Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 333 on Oct. 24, the rest of the 135-pound weight class is out to cement their status as the next contender. Chief among them is Umar Nurmagomedov, who was seemingly one more win away from cashing in on his first trip to the big dance before running into the aforementioned Dvalishvili in Jan. 2025, losing to the relentless grappler via unanimous decision. That was the lone loss of his combat career, previously racking up 18 straight wins, six inside the Octagon. Since then, however, he has bounced back with two dominant wins and now looks for a third to finally get him over the hump and into the title fight. He is currently ranked No. 2 in the division, with Dvalishvili taking up the No. 1 spot. That means that a convincing win for Umar should get him what he’s long desired.
Yadong, however, has championship dreams of his own, though he hasn’t been too consistent when it comes to securing wins. The last time he won two straight fights was in 2023. Since then he has alternated wins and losses to the tune of a 2-2 record. He is coming off a sweet submission win over Deiveson Figueiredo (relive it here), so he has momentum on his side. Against Nurmagomedov, however, he will be facing off against one of the best grapplers he’s ever faced. But this will be nothing new to him, as Song has stepped into the cage against Olympic gold medal winner, Henry Cejudo. Yadong has all of the tools to make waves in the division, he just can not seem to put them together on a consistent basis to prove to matchmakers he’s deserving of a title shot. A win here likely won’t get him there right away, but it will put him in the Top 5.
Original Card Vs. Actual Card/Injuries:
Ce Liu and Junior Tafa were set to throw down at this event before Tafa pulled out due to undisclosed reasons. He was replaced by Levi Rodrigues Jr., who came up short in his UFC debut opposite Felipe Franco just last month. He is hoping a quick turnaround victory will get him in the good graces of UFC matchmakers.
New Blood:
Two UFC newcomers will make their debuts against one another on the main card as Bilal Hasan and Nilson Rojas throw down in a Flyweight bout. Hasan is undefeated at 9-0-1 with eight stoppages to his credit. He always goes for the kill, and the only fight that went the distance was his MMA debut back in 2022. “The IndoNinja” will take on Nilson who is also undefeated with a 9-0 record. “El Rayo” has knocked out seven of his opponents during that run, so this fight has all of the makings of a standup war.
Ce Lieu will be making his UFC debut opposite the aforementioned Levi Rodrigues Jr. He does not have a ton of experience on his jacket just yet, with a record of 3-1 after making his MMA debut in 2023. An impressive win here, however, will make people take notice right away.
Canadian-born Cameron Nelson will get his chance in the big show just three years after making his MMA debut. He has jumped out to an impress 7-1 record with five finishes. He will face off against Meng Ding, who lost in his UFC debut via split-decision despite a valiant effort against Jose Henrique Souza.
Six years after making his pro MMA debut in 2021, Lawrence Lui has earned his spot on the UFC roster. He has a chance to impress and improve on his 8-1 record that includes four knockout victories. He is still fairly new to the game, so he has a ways to go. His first challenge inside the Octagon will come against Hector Santiago, who will also be making his UFC debut. Santiago — a bruising Brazilian brawler — made his pro MMA debut in 2024 and has since racked up a 6-1 record with five knockouts.
Our next newcomer is Francesco Nuzzi. The Italian scrapper comes in with an 11-2 record and was last seen fighting to a No Contest (NC) against Manoel Costa under the Cage Warriors umbrella. Despite that, he got the call up to the big leagues. He has been in the game for a decade so now is his time to shine on the biggest stage of them all when he battles Long Xiao, who is currently on a two-fight losing streak and in desperate need of a win.
How The ‘Prelims’ Look:
Andre Lima suffered the first and only loss of his MMA career in his last outing against Kevin Borjas, snapping his 11-fight win streak. He will have to start from scratch and hope to get another lengthy win streak going, but standing in his way is Namsrai Batbayar (say that three times fast), who is currently on a six-fight win streak.
Kevin Borjas simply has not been cutting it during his run with the promotion. In six fights he has only managed to go 2-4, snapping his two-fight skid in his last fight by defeating Andre Lima two months ago. Let’s hope that he cant get the boost he needs to get things going when he battles Rei Tsuruya, who is 5-1 inside the Octagon.
Jack Jenkins needs a bit more consistency in his life. To be clear, I am referring to his fighting life. He started off well with two straight wins inside the Octagon, but has since gone an even 2-2. That simply won’t cut it if he ever wants to move into the rankings. He has a chance to get his second straight win when he goes head up against Sean Woodson, who is coming off a tough loss at the hands of Dan Ige, snapping his five-year, seven-fight unbeaten streak.
Jingnan Xiong came up short in his first fight under the UFC banner, losing to Angela Hill via unanimous decision three months ago. She is hoping to bounce back with a quick turnaround as she goes to battle against Julia Polastri, who is just 2-2 inside the Octagon and is coming off a loss to Talita Alencar.
Who Needs A Win Badly:
Alex Perez started of his UFC career with a 6-1 mark, leading many to believe that he could be a legit threat to the Flyweight title. Since 2020, however, Perez has been on a deep slump. He went on a three-fight losing streak in the four years that followed before bouncing back with a win against Matheus Nicolau. He then lost two more before picking up a win over Charles Johnson, and then fighting to a No Contest (NC) against Sumudaerji. That’s why the two men will run it back here to settle their business. Sumudaerji has the most momentum as he had previously won three straight fights. If Perez loses, I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets cut.
Interest Level: 5/10:
Denise Gomes has a golden opportunity to crack the Top 5 if she can get a win over Xiaonan Yan in the co-main event of the evening. Gomes is currently sitting in theNo. 9 spot on the official UFC rankings and has won four straight fights against some fairly tough competition, including Tecia Pennington and Karolina Kowalkiewicz. Now, she can secure perhaps the biggest win of her career to take one huge step closer to a title shot. Of course, Yan is on the hunt for a big win after getting outclassed by Virna Jandiroba in her previous bout, dropping her to 1-2 in her last three UFC fights. Despite her mini slump she is still ranked No. 4 and intends to stay there with a win here. A loss, however, will take her out of the Top 5 and her dreams of ever fighting for a UFC title drift further away.
Kai Asakura came into the promotion with a ton of momentum, though it all fizzled away after losing to Alexandre Pantoja in a 125-pound title fight via submission (see it again here). Things only got worse for him in his sophomore effort after he was submitted by Tim Elliott (highlights). Thankfully, he managed to secure a much-needed win against Cameron Smotherman via first-round knockout earlier this year in his return to Bantamweight (see it here). He will look to make it two-for-two when he battles Qileng Aori, who has not made enough noise in the five years with the promotion to make him relevant. He is 4-5-1, so a win over Asakura will definitely boost his stock.
Enjoy the fights (if you can get up early enough!)
Full UFC Shanghai Fight Card:
UFC Shanghai Main Event on Paramount+:
135 lbs.: Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Yadong Song
UFC Shanghai Main Card on Paramount+ (6 a.m. ET):
115 lbs.: Xiaonan Yan vs. Denise Gomes
135 lbs.: Aoriqileng vs. Kai Asakura
125 lbs.: Alex Perez vs. Sumudaerji
205 lbs.: Levi Rodrigues Jr. vs. Ce Liu
125 lbs.: Bilal Hasan vs. Nilson Rojas
UFC Shanghai Prelims Card on Paramount+ (3 a.m. ET):
125 lbs.: André Lima vs. Namsrai Batbayar
125 lbs.: Rei Tsuruya vs. Kevin Borjas
135 lbs.: Long Xiao vs. Francesco Nuzzi
145 lbs.: Jack Jenkins vs. Sean Woodson
135 lbs.: Lawrence Lui vs. Hector Santiago
115 lbs.: Jingnan Xiong vs. Julia Polastri
170 lbs.: Meng Ding vs. Cam Nelson
*Fight card, bout order and number of fights remain subject to change.*
