Explosive finale to UFC's Shanghai Fight Night, as Song upsets Russian favorite

The Ultimate Fighting Championship couldn't have asked for a better finish than the way Song Yadong left Shanghai in a frenzy on Saturday night after winning, arguably, the biggest fight in his career so far.

The Chinese bantamweight contender didn't take long to cap off the UFC's Shanghai Fight Night in the greatest possible way for the home crowd after he secured a massive knockout victory over Russia's former title challenger Umar Nurmagomedov in their main event bout at the Oriental Sports Center, taking a giant step closer to a shot at the division's world championship belt, currently held by another Russian fighter, Petr Yan.

After spending the first round against Nurmagomedov cautiously testing the dangerous Russian grappler by trading punches and kicks, Song came back in the second stanza with a grin on his face, signaling it was about time to go all in.

Just a little over three minutes later, he made the most out of what appeared a fleeting chance when Nurmagomedov went for a takedown, throwing a right uppercut just behind the Russian's ear and knocking the favorite out cold and lighting a fire under the partisan crowd, which exploded into ecstatic cheers.

"Who's next?" Song shouted out loud in his post-fight interview in the Octagon immediately after the upset win — one which could place the currently sixth-ranked contender in line for a title challenge.

And Song minced no words about that.

"Give me the title shot!" Song demanded to a standing ovation from over 16,000 spectators.

"Maybe not tonight, not tomorrow, or not next month, but I guarantee you guys that I will be the UFC's first men's world title winner from China".

The 28-year-old Song, who trains at the Team Alpha Male club in Sacramento, California, has now won three of his past four fights, with his lone blemish being a narrow defeat to former titleholder Sean O'Malley in January. His career win-loss record has been improved to 24-9, including 13 victories in the Octagon since making his UFC debut in 2017, also in Shanghai.

In an earlier men's light heavyweight bout, China's Liu Ce introduced himself to the UFC in explosive style, landing a thunderous right to send his Brazilian opponent Levi Rodrigues Jr face first onto the canvas at the 2:28 mark in the second round, clinching a convincing knockout win in his Octagon debut to a rousing reception from the Shanghai crowd.

After Liu's victory, China's 37-year-old strawweight veteran Yan Xiaonan suffered a tough loss in her co-main event bout with Brazilian brawler Denise Gomes, getting knocked out early in the first round by a lead-in elbow thrown by her much younger opponent.

sunxiaochen@chinadaily.com.cn