Umar Nurmagomedov may not have gotten the result he wanted at UFC Shanghai earlier today after suffering an upset knockout loss to hometown underdog Song Yadong, but the Dagestani contender is remaining in good spirits.
Without trying to downplay Yadong’s pre-fight standing in the UFC’s jam-packed bantamweight division, Nurmagomedov was expected to win this fight. Oddsmakers knew it, fight fans outside of China knew it, and even Yadong knew he’d be climbing an uphill battle. That’s why he trained
alongside Gordan Ryan for this camp. Yadong understood the dangerous in fighting someone who possesses the wrestling, grappling, and cardio that Nurmagomedov has.
Unfortunately for Nurmagomedov, he only got about a seven minutes to showcase his skills before Song cracked him with a wicked right hand that instantly put the Dagestani contender out for the count. It was a brutal knockout sequence to say the least and ultimately a harsh reality check for Team Khabib that nobody is safe in this sport.
Nurmagomedov, who is young enough and dedicated enough to completely rebound from this loss, took a few hours to recover before jumping on social media and offering a statement. The former UFC bantamweight title challenger remained positive, but it has to be a tough pill to swallow.
Check it out below:
“Everything is fine with me,” wrote Nurmagomedov in Russian (English translation via Instagram). “Alhamdulillah. Thank you so much to everyone who writes. I will work on the mistakes. And I will be back.”
For complete UFC Shanghai results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.
