The UFC was in Shanghai, China, on Saturday for a solid UFC Shanghai event. The main event saw bantamweight contenders throw down as Song Yadong took on Umar Nurmagomedov in a potential No. 1 contender fight.
Nurmagomedov entered the fight coming off back-to-back decision wins over Deiveso Figueiredo and Mario Bautista after losing a decision to Merab Dvalishvili for the belt. Yadong, meanwhile, was coming off a submission win over Figueiredo to get back into the win column after a decision loss to Sean O’Malley.
Ultimately, it was Yadong who pulled off a massive upset as he scored a KO win in the second round. Following UFC Shanghai, here is what I think should be next for the bantamweight contenders.
Song Yadong
Song Yadong proved he’s a legit title contender at UFC Shanghai as he scored a KO win over Umar Nurmagomedov. It was a solid performance from Yadong as he was able to keep it standing, and his striking looked sharp en route to the knockout win.
Yadong could get a title shot next, but it depends on who wins. If Petr Yan beats Merab Dvalishvili, the UFC will likely book O’Malley for the belt. If that is the case, a No. 1 contender fight against Mario Bautista makes sense, where the winner would face the winner of Yan vs. O’Malley.
But if Dvalishvili wins, a third O’Malley fight doesn’t make sense, so Yadong should get the title shot, as he hasn’t faced Dvalishvili before.
Umar Nurmagomedov
Umar Nurmagomedov entered UFC Shanghai as a massive favorite, but he struggled as he got knocked out by Yadong. Even before the KO, the fight was even as Nurmagomedov as he couldn’t get Yadong down in the second round before being knocked out.
With the loss, Nurmagomedov is back to the drawing board and will need a step-down in competition next. Nurmagomedov should take some time off to heal, and a logical next bout is to face the winner of David Martinez vs. Dan Ige, which is set for Noche UFC on Sept. 12.
What do you think should be next for Song Yadong and Umar Nurmagomedov after UFC Shanghai?
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