UFC icon Henry Cejudo believes Umar Nurmagomedov’s shocking knockout loss to Song Yadong at UFC Shanghai was an outlier rather than an indication that the Chinese bantamweight is the superior fighter.
Nurmagomedov suffered the second defeat of his professional career in Saturday’s main event, getting stopped by Yadong via a right uppercut in the second round. The knockout came as Nurmagomedov changed levels for a takedown, allowing Yadong to perfectly time the counter and put him unconscious on the canvas.
The result represented a major upset. Nurmagomedov entered the contest as one of the UFC’s top bantamweight contenders and had won his previous two fights after losing a decision to former champion Merab Dvalishvili in his first title opportunity. Yadong, meanwhile, entered off a submission victory over former UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo.
Henry Cejudo: “Umar Gets It Done Nine Times Out of 10”
Speaking on the Pound 4 Pound podcast, Henry Cejudo dismissed the idea that Song Yadong’s knockout necessarily proves he is the better fighter.
“He just got caught, bro. This is just a game of getting caught, sometimes you get caught.”
Cejudo then went further, claiming Nurmagomedov would win the matchup the vast majority of the time.
“I think nine out of 10 times Umar gets it done by whatever he wants in my opinion.”
Check out Henry Cejudo’s comments about Umar Nurmagomedov below:
Cejudo’s assessment reflects the tactical expectations surrounding the fight. Nurmagomedov entered with an elite wrestling and grappling reputation, and he immediately looked to exploit that advantage in Shanghai. He secured takedowns during the opening round and spent significant time controlling Yadong on the mat.
However, Yadong increasingly neutralized the wrestling threat before producing the decisive moment early in Round 2. After defending another takedown attempt, he caught Nurmagomedov perfectly with the uppercut as the Russian changed levels.
Song Yadong’s Career-Defining Upset
While Henry Cejudo believes Umar Nurmagomedov simply made a costly mistake, the victory represents the biggest result of Yadong’s UFC career.
The Chinese contender entered UFC Shanghai as a sizable underdog but successfully defended against Nurmagomedov’s wrestling before capitalizing on the opening that presented itself. Yadong subsequently called for a UFC bantamweight title shot, declaring his intention to become the first Chinese male UFC champion.
The defeat, meanwhile, significantly damages Nurmagomedov’s immediate title aspirations. The former title challenger had rebuilt momentum with consecutive victories, but his first professional knockout loss now leaves him with plenty to address before another championship run.
For Cejudo, however, the result does not fundamentally change his opinion of Nurmagomedov’s ability.
Yadong proved that one perfectly timed shot can overturn an otherwise favorable matchup. Whether Cejudo’s 9-out-of-10 assessment proves accurate will only become clear if the two bantamweights eventually meet again.
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