Yesterday (Sat., Aug. 29, 2026), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) ventured forth to Shanghai Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai, China for UFC Shanghai. The UFC’s annual trip to China was a huge opportunity for Song Yadong, who entered his latest main event slot as a significant underdog to Bantamweight heir-apparent Umar Nurmagomedov. Prior to the Bantamweight collision atop the card, UFC Shanghai was highlighted by quite a few nasty knockouts (sadly at the expense of local fighters), and the card also
featured the highly-anticipated Flyweight debut of top prospect Bilal Hasan.
Let’s take a closer look at the best performances and highlight finishes of the evening:
Song Smokes Umar
Struggling to adapt to his opponents at the highest level has long been a criticism of Song Yadong, but he rose to the occasion versus Umar Nurmagomedov.
In the first round, Yadong demonstrated excellent shot selection. He kicked high or very low, aiming at the calf. Nurmagomedov still managed to latch onto one of those calf kicks for his only takedown of the fight, but that’s a testament to his wrestling talent and the simple fact that every exchange carries risk. More vitally, Yadong was stepping deep into right hands aimed at the chest early on, and those slugging punches were landing hard right away.
Wrestlers who cut a lot of weight hate getting hit into the mid-section.
When Yadong was taken down, he executed a beautiful deep half guard sweep — or at least half of one — to initiate a scramble and return to his feet. By round two, Yadong was patiently advancing and had already stuffed a takedown cleanly when he feinted and fired that right to the body again. This time, Nurmagomedov ducked directly into the punch and was instantly unconscious.
Nurmagomedov has a history of getting hurt while ducking into shots, and Yadong capitalized perfectly to create one of the year’s biggest and best knockouts. Even aside from that singular shot, however, Yadong came into this fight equipped for the upset. It’s great to see the 28-year-old still improving, and if Merab Dvalishvili defeats Petr Yan this fall, then Yadong has earned his shot at UFC gold as well.
Denise Gomes Arrives
26-year-old Denise Gomes just picked up the biggest win of her career by sparking former title challenger Yan Xiaonan in a fight way more exciting than anyone expected.
Xiaonan is known for her careful control of distance and often puts on low-volume kickboxing matches. I can’t say if it was the excitement of fighting in Shanghai or simply a stylistic choice, but she was much more aggressive than usual here. Gomes struck first with a couple big right hand swings, but Xiaonan answered right back by stepping to her shorter opponent with several straight rights and additional combinations. The two were scrapping, and each woman landed heavy blows.
It ended in an instant when Gomes timed a Xiaonan entry. Several times, Xiaonan feinted an oblique kick to step forward into punches to great effect, but she went to the well too many times. Late in the first, Gomes was able to read that setup and interrupt the right with a massive elbow, Chris Weidman vs. Mark Munoz-style. The Chinese contender collapsed, and just a few follow-up shots secured Gomes a career-changing victory.
She’s now won five in a row and has likely broken into the Top Five. Is it time for a title eliminator?
A Boatload Of Bantamweight Fun
Kai Asakura has found a home at 135 pounds.
Opposite veteran slugger Aoriqileng, Asakura officially evened up his UFC record with a second consecutive knockout win. Asakura was trying to line up that perfect counter shot, but in the interim, he was happy to boot the lead leg and leap forward with ferocious combinations. It’s rare to see a noted counter striker so fearless on offense, but that’s how Asakura wound up knocking out Aoriqileng. At the start of round two, Asakura fired a right hand then popped a jab, hiding his left leg high kick behind the quick poke from his lead hand. It crashed into the target with an audible crack, then Asakura swarmed for the finish.
Asakura’s striking style is both lethal and aesthetic. Rather than rush him up the rankings, I’d rather see the promotion continue to book him in kickboxing battles.
Light Heavyweights Brawl!
Liu Ce is not what one expects of a former K-1 champion.
The knockout artist is all offense, all the time. Even in the finishing sequence where he knocked Levi Rodrigues Jr. completely out cold, Ce was cracked by several hard punches. Inside a round, Ce’s face was bloodied and swollen, and that’s in a fight where he was winning! Fortunately, the Chinese standout has the physical attributes to make it work. He’s big for the division but still quick, which helps ensure he’s beating his opponent to the punch more often than not in these wild exchanges.
I’m not expecting a title run, but every Liu Ce fight is going to be must-watch. Why not rebook him versus Junior Tafa and create a guaranteed highlight?
Flyweight’s Future Arrives?
Welcome to the Bilal Hasan show.
“The IndoNinja,” an accomplished champion on the regional scene, secured his UFC contract with a scorching knockout on Contender Series just 18 days ago. Because the knockout only required 45 seconds of effort, Hasan was able to parlay that success into a quick Octagon debut versus undefeated Nilson Rojas. It took more work, but the end result remained the same: another vicious stoppage.
Hasan has great height and reach for the Flyweight class, and he’s able to accentuate those advantages because of his composure and quickness. By staying relaxed in the cage, Hasan’s natural speed is only amplified. His punches and kicks unfurl like a whip, landing with the kind of snap that does real damage. He hurt Rojas with a body kick in the first and tagged him repeatedly, but “El Rayo” isn’t undefeated by accident. Rojas endured and began to find his range as Hasan’s speed settled in the second. Just as Rojas began to build success, Hasan smoked him with a single right hand straight to the jawline.
That’s the problem with outlasting a sniper like Hasan: even if he gets tired (he’s demonstrated strong cardio in five-round fights previously for what it’s worth), he lands a lot of damaging shots in the process. Rojas was beaten up in round one, leaving him vulnerable for the kill shot in round two. Because Hasan is so relaxed, he’s still able to fire with power when fatigue does inevitably set in.
All in all, Hasan is a high-quality prospect who’s going to be very fun to watch for years to come.
Rei Tsuruya Reborn
Joshua Van kind of killed the Rei Tsuruya hype last year. Tsuruya, known as a masterful wrestler, couldn’t drag the smaller boxer down to the canvas hardly at all despite about two-dozen takedown attempts. He didn’t get knocked out, but it was an ugly showing from the Japanese athlete that resulted in a one-sided loss.
Fortunately, Van has since turned out to be a pretty special talent.
Meanwhile, Tsuruya rebounded at 135 pounds with a quick submission over the unheralded Luis Gurule, which is well and good but doesn’t rebuild momentum. In Shanghai, Tsuruya dropped back down to 125 pounds looking more shredded than ever while debuting a new haircut. More important than the new look, Tsuruya was much more aggressive on the canvas versus Kevin Borjas.
Tsuruya has been consistently athletic and smooth with his takedowns and mat transitions, but we’ve never seen him battering his opponents from top control. Between his tie-ups and hammering punches, there were moments where Tsuruya reminded me of the great Khabib Nurmagomedov in the way he delivered ground strikes. Pummeling Borjas opened up the early strangle, making for a successful Flyweight return.
Perhaps the hype can start to build once more? At just 24 years of age, Tsuruya is now 12-1 as a professional, and his only defeat came at the hands of the current world champion!
Additional Thoughts
- Andre Lima defeats Namsrai Batbayar via third-round guillotine choke: Lima is a frustrating fighter. He can be inactive, and he’s missed the Flyweight limit twice now. However, the 27-year-old Brazilian is also really damn good. He was cool, calm, and collected in the face of Batbayar’s wild offense, easily avoiding the wide swings while picking his own shots. Just as it seemed like he was going to cruise to a decision, Lima snatched up a guillotine after off-balancing Batbayar with a counter hook. Usually, if the tap doesn’t come quickly the choke isn’t going to happen, but Lima showed his craft by adjusting his grip and forcing the finish. Lima still has a lot of potential even if the rough edges need to be ironed out.
- Francesco Nuzzi defeats Xiao Long via first-round knockout: Aside from a brief pause due to an eye poke, this one really didn’t last long (pun intended)! Less than a minute into the round, Nuzzi stung Long with a left hand then immediately opened the floodgates, unleashing a fast flurry of punches that sent Long to the canvas. Nuzzi, a PFL veteran who has fought some tough opposition previously, officially makes his debut with a splash, doing his part to ruin the Chinese crowd’s evening in explosive fashion.
- Hector Santiago defeats Lawrence Liu via second-round knockout: Santiago made the most of his short-notice call-up versus Road To UFC winner Lawrence Liu. Both men were throwing fast, aggressive shots from the first bell, but there was a noticeable difference in the comfort under fire. Liu looked comparatively stiff and even awkward at times, which led to him getting clipped in the pocket more and more often. Santiago pushed his advantage, and a series of powerful right hands sealed the deal just about a minute into the second round.
- Julia Polastri defeats Jingnan Xiong via first-round knockout: It’s been quite a while since we’ve seen a WMMA KO this nasty! Polastri used pressure to set up the high kick, getting her opponent moving before ripping several body kicks on the break. As Xiong circled away from a Polastri left hook, she stepped directly into the line of a right hook she never saw coming. It’s a great example of herding the opponent into a power shot: Xiong couldn’t step backward because of the fence, and Polastri’s left hand threat convinced her away from that direction as well. Xiong’s only hope to avoid exchanging was by stepping to Polastri’s right, and the head kick was already waiting! It’s a shame Polastri missed weight, because that’s a bonus-worthy high kick.
