8/29/26
For those who watched this card and stayed up all night, they were in for a treat. A sold-out night in China that saw one of the most electric crowds all year. Deafeningly loud and so much passion for their homegrown fighters. The card itself did not disappoint, as there were 10 finishes across all 13 fights. From devastating knockouts to amazing debuts and a number one contender in the bantamweight division that just shook up the UFC world. Here is a recap of UFC Fight Night: Nurmagomedov vs Song
Bilal Hasan vs Nilson Rojas: Flyweight
The main card started with a bang as the young prospect Bilal Hasan made quick work of Nilson Rojas. He was the taller and faster fighter in the cage this night and looked extremely sharp in the striking. The quickness of strikes paired with how Hasan was mixing up his weapons made it hard for Rojas to get comfortable. The leg kicks were a big part of the game plan which started to take a toll through the course of the round and a half fight. Hasan was winning when going forward and counter striking before landing a lethal straight left hand that put Rojas to sleep. Rojas before then was keeping up and landing decently here and there, but the size, speed, and power of Hasan proved to be too much in the end. He remains undefeated and just made a statement in the flyweight division.
Liu Ce vs Levi Rodrigues Jr: Light Heavyweight
Liu Ce knockout of Levi Rodrigues in the first round was shockingly not the most brutal KO on this card, which says a lot because for anyone who watched it, Rodrigues was face-first, face-planted onto the mat for a while. Both these fighters are young in their MMA careers, but Liu used his kickboxing background to his advantage as he kept distance well and used his lengthy kicks to keep Rodrigues at bay. Rodrigues was finding his moments, though, to be effective and even wobbled Liu a few times. Whenever they would enter the pocket with one another, technique started to go out the window, and it became a brawl. This, unfortunately for Rodrigues, was his undoing as he traded power shots with an accomplished kickboxer with big power. The knockout came at the end of the first round and looked absolutely devastating, and it was. Liu walks away with the highlight KO and makes his name known in the light heavyweight division.
Alex Perez vs Sumudaerji: Flyweight
This was the only fight on the main card that wasn’t a knockout; instead, it was a technical battle between a striker and a grappler. From the get-go, the game plan was clear for each fighter. For Sumudaerji, use his leg kicks to punish the lead leg of Perez and make it hard for him to get into a rhythm. That, as well as kicks to the body, lengthy straight punches, and combinations to slow Perez down. For Perez, he wanted to get a hold of Sumudaerji and control the fight on the ground or against the fence. For the first three minutes of round one, Sumudaerji outmatched Perez on the feet and landed many more strikes. Perez did land a takedown towards the end of the round, but it didn’t amount to much in terms of damage.
The second round was the only round Perez won due to his control time and dominant position once he got the takedown. It all came down to the third, where Sumudaerji pulled away. His takedown defense was on point in the third as he refused to go down; then he would get the fight back to the feet, use volume strikes to outpoint Perez, and bring home the win in front of his country. A fun technical fight that saw the difference in the two styles of the fighters, but in the end Sumudaerji gets the win over the #11-ranked flyweight and is looking to burst into the top ten rankings.
Aoriqileng vs Kai Asakura: Bantamweight
In Kai Asakura’s second fight as a bantamweight, he once again gets a knockout win against a dangerous fighter in Aoriqileng. The first round between the two was competitive, and while Asakura landed more and a little harder, it wasn’t by a significant margin. They spent a decent amount of the first round making reads and getting the timing of the other. In the second round, though, Asakura saw all he needed to and put the pressure on Aoriqileng. He met him with flurries of punches and combinations before one got through and ended the fight. Asakura finished a punch combination with a head kick that stunned Aoriqileng, then Kai punished him with follow-up shots to the head and body that ended the fight there. Asakura has looked elite since moving up in weight and wants a ranked opponent next. He will, in all likelihood, get that wish.
Yan Xiaonan vs Denise Gomes: Women’s Strawweight
Every women’s fight on the card ended in a finish, and both were finished brutally. Denise Gomes came into the fight ranked #14 in the division and took on the #4 ranked fighter, Yan Xiaonan, who wasn’t too far off from a title shot if she were to win. Although Gomes was the underdog, it didn’t matter as she out-struck Xiaonan and landed the cleaner and more punishing shots. It remained relatively close on the feet for most of the first round until a massive elbow from Gomes would drop Yan bad. Gomes would then follow up with a big combo as Yan tried to get up, which put the lights out. Gomes gets the massive KO and now puts herself in potential conversations to be a future challenger for the belt. She will be in the top ten rankings of the division soon and could even sneak into the top seven or eight. A big underdog win for the Brazilian.
Umar Nurmagomedov vs Song Yadong: Bantamweight
Song Yadong just pulled off a massive upset with his round two KO of Umar Nurmagomedov. Even though he was the #6-ranked fighter in the bantamweight division, he was still being counted out by many fans. Umar was 20-1, with his only loss being to Merab Dvalishvili, who might be the greatest bantamweight ever. The Nurmagomedov family has been so dominant in MMA that it’s already hard enough to imagine them losing, but to be knocked out so horribly showed that no one is immortal in this sport. Song looked elite in this fight; his striking was clean, and he picked his moments well to land. His takedown defense, as well as his ability to quickly get back up to his feet after being taken down, was impressive. Especially because once someone like Nurmagomedov gets you down, it’s rare for anyone to get back up.
While Umar won the first round due to the takedowns, control time, and striking of his own, Song looked weirdly excited for the second round to start. As the round began, he had a massive smile on his face as if he knew what he was about to do. What he did shocked the MMA world and erupted the deafening crowd in China. Midway through the second, Song made a read on Umar and started to time punches when he would move in. As Nurmagomedov leaned in to his left, Song wound up a massive uppercut that landed clean on the ear. This knocked Umar out stiff as a board in a horrifying way. The crowd was so loud that listeners could barely hear as Song celebrated the biggest win of his career in his home country. This immediately puts Song as one of the number one contenders to fight for the belt next. He will likely get that title shot if Merab Dvalishvili defeats Petr Yan for the belt when they fight at UFC 333 in October. An all-time great win for Song in brutal fashion as he proves he is one of the best in the world in the bantamweight division.
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