Umar Nurmagomedov's Team Releases Statement After Shocking UFC Shanghai Loss

UFC bantamweight contender Umar Nurmagomedov was on the verge of a title shot entering UFC Shanghai Saturday, until all of a sudden, he wasn't.

Nurmagomedov (20-2 MMA) had won back-to-back fights since losing his lone title shot to Merab Dvalishvili (21-5 MMA) last January at UFC 311. Comfortably in the mix for a title shot against the would-be winner of the Petr Yan vs. Dvalishvili trilogy at UFC 333 in October, Song Yadong (24-9-1 MMA) ruined those plans with a devastating second-round TKO in his home country of China to cap off a card that saw 10 finishes across 13 fights.

How Umar Nurmagomedov Was Stunned at UFC Shanghai

While the fight was a largely unexpected outcome, it was what happened immediately afterward that had the MMA world abuzz. Umar Nurmagomedov's brother, Usman Nurmagomedov (the current PFL Lightweight Champion), sprinted into the Octagon as the fight ended and attempted to ruin Song's moment by throwing an elbow toward Yadong as he was walking away from the finishing sequence.

The UFC has yet to address the incident. However, Umar Nurmagomedov's team took to Instagram to address the loss altogether.

“The result cannot be changed today; the opponent won," the post read. "Everything happened according to the will of the Almighty, and there is wisdom in that."

The loss marked Nurmagomedov's first KO/TKO defeat of his UFC career thus far, which began in Jan. 2021.

What's Next for Umar Nurmagomedov?

Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 272 — Mar 5, 2022; Las Vegas, Nevada, UNITED STATES; Umar Nurmagomedov (blue gloves) celebrates after defeating Brian Kelleher (not pictured) during UFC 272 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports

"Alhamdulillah, in any situation, we accept what is prescribed, draw conclusions, and continue to work," the caption continued. "Keep your head up [Umar], brother."

Nurmagomedov will have to bounce back in a big way moving forward, while Song made his intentions clear: it's title fight or bust.

"I feel like the best moment in my life right now," Song told UFC News after the win. "I finished the best guy in our division, one of the best fighters, in front of my people. I feel amazing. I feel like this time, the easiest fight for me mentally. I feel like everyone gave me energy tonight."

Song said him scoring a knockout was truly unsurprising.

"My boxing coach Rudy Hernandez, he already told me you'll get the knockout tonight with an uppercut," Song said. "We've been working on that, the uppercut. We knew he's going to shoot from the left side, and we feinted the left uppercut and landed the right one."

Song will now play the waiting game while the rest of the division plays out. Only time will tell, though.

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