One of MMA’s top stables suffered a huge setback on Saturday.
Umar Nurmagomedov was the favorite to have his hand raised in China, where he arrived last week hoping to play the spoiler against home star Song Yadong.
After two straight wins since his failed title bid in 2025, the Dagestani believed he was a victory over ‘The Kung Fu Kid’ away from another opportunity. Instead of securing that, though, Umar was knocked out cold by Song at the Oriental Sports Center.
There were devastated reactions in the corner from Khabib, Usman, and Abubakar Nurmagomedov. And the renowned Dagestani team has now posted its first public statement.
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Team Nurmagomedov post urges Umar to keep his ‘head up’ after UFC Shanghai KO
Umar fell short against Merab Dvalishvili in his first attempt to win gold on MMA’s biggest stage.
19 months later, the Dagestani was planning to secure his place opposite the winner of Petr Yan’s UFC 333 title defense against ‘The Machine’.
That spot has instead gone to Song, who rendered Umar unconscious with a brutal right hand as the Russian star changed levels for a takedown in round two of the UFC Shanghai main event.
It didn’t take long for the defeated bantamweight’s team to put out a statement urging Umar to keep his head up.
“The result cannot be changed today the opponent won,” the Nurmagomedov MMA School account wrote on Instagram.
“Everything happened according to the will of the Almighty, and there is wisdom in that. Alhamdulillah in any situation: we accept what is prescribed, draw conclusions and continue to work.
“Keep your head up brother (heart emoji).”
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Saturday’s result marked the first instance of a major team Nurmagomedov fighter being knocked out since Islam Makhachev’s one and only pro MMA loss.
The two-division UFC champion was put out cold by Adriano Martins over a decade ago.
After seeing his teammate rebound from that by starting what would become the longest winning streak in UFC history, Umar will hope to replicate that feat when he returns to the Octagon.
2026-08-29 15:15:17
