Song Yadong walked into Shanghai as the betting underdog against Umar Nurmagomedov, a bantamweight (135 lbs/61 kg) contender many considered next in line for a crack at gold. Instead, the local favorite delivered one of the biggest upsets of the year, dropping Nurmagomedov with a short uppercut off the ear in round two and following up with a barrage that forced the referee to step in at 1:48.
The finish came after a wild sequence that saw Nurmagomedov trapped in a guillotine, a clash of heads that left Song bloodied, and a mid-bout smile from Song after eating a clean punch.
In the aftermath, attention quickly shifted away from the match itself and toward Umar’s own words. Ariel Helwani, never one to let an inconvenient soundbite disappear quietly, resurfaced an older sit-down that Red Corner MMA had conducted with Nurmagomedov, one that painted a very different picture of how the Dagestani star viewed his now conqueror.
In that conversation, Umar brushed off any notion that Song presented a threat, calling him little more than a laughing matter at the time.
“Of course, I have interest, but he’s a joke,” he said when asked whether the matchup held any intrigue for him. Pressed further on Song’s ability, he seemed almost bemused by the idea that his opponent could hang with him at all, at one point admitting, “I didn’t expect him to be as cool as he was,” while also allowing, somewhat begrudgingly, “He’s not bad at all.”
The clip landing when it did stings a little more given the timeline. Just days before he touched gloves with Song in Shanghai, Nurmagomedov sat down with Mike Bohn on the Bonfire Podcast and was asked directly about reports that he had once labeled Song a punching bag.
He rejected the characterization outright, framing it as a translation issue rather than an accurate reflection of his views.
“I don’t say punching bag. It’s how they translate. I mean he foug ht with Sean O’Malley as he have to beat him. You know I was ruling for him and I was a little mad because of he lost because I thought if he will lost he not going to fig ht for the title. He going to leave from the line you know who will fig ht for the title. And he’s a good fig hter, he’s tough guy, he’s he have a lot experience long time he in UFC. Even his debut was earlier than me, three years you know. He’s tough guy,” Nurmagomedov explained.
Looking past Shanghai, Nurmagomedov had already set his sights on a collision course with Merab Dvalishvili, regardless of how the Yan trilogy fight later this year plays out. “First of all, of course I have to win this fig ht. Anyways, I think I will fig ht with Merab. If he will win or if he will lose you know I think we’re going to fight,” he said.
Asked whether that rivalry carries any personal weight following an incident tied to a friend at a wrestling event, Umar did not hesitate.
“I think yes, now it’s personal. Not for just for me. It’s personal for all Dagestan,” he noted.
Umar Nurmagomedov’s blunt assessment of Song Yadong:
“Song is a punching bag. How did he do against O’Malley? He was done by the third round. In the fourth round, he was taking knees to the face. I don’t consider him a top-class fighter.”
Via: @AdamZubayraev pic.twitter.com/qBCIFYVKB2
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) June 20, 2026
