In his endless quest to break into the top of the bantamweight rankings, Song Yadong finally made a quantum leap.
Song knocked out Umar Nurmagomedov in the main event of UFC Shanghai this past Saturday, not only becoming the first fighter to finish Nurmagomedov and just the second-ever to beat him, but also scoring arguably the biggest upset of 2026. Let’s ponder that for a moment.
Up until this point, the Song narrative was straightforward: Talented fighter. Heavy hitter. Young, still developing.
Not good enough to beat the best.
That might sound harsh, but consider the evidence. Wins over Henry Cejudo, Marlon Moraes, and Marlon all look great o
