Umar Nurmagomedov Shares First Update After Devastating UFC Shanghai Knockout

What's next for Nurmagomedov after just the second loss of his career?

UFC

It looks like Umar Nurmagomedov doesn’t intend to take much time off after suffering a devastating loss at UFC Shanghai.

Following Week 3 of Dana White’s Contender Series on Tuesday and Friday’s Road to UFC event that feature the semifinal matchups for this year’s tournaments, UFC Shanghai took place on Saturday and saw 10 out of the 13 scheduled fights end via finish.

No result was more significant than the one that came in the night’s final bout, as Song Yadong scored a major upset when he knocked out Nurmagomedov less than two minutes into the second round.

Umar Nurmagomedov Shares First Update After UFC Shanghai Loss

The knockout represented one of the more stunning UFC upsets in recent memory, and the discourse around the result was only amplified by the fact that Umar’s brother Usman Nurmagomedov sprinted into the cage and briefly collided with Song during the latter fighter’s celebration.

An initial post from Nurmagomedov’s team acknowledged that there was little point in dwelling on the loss, and Umar himself later took to Instagram to claim that he’s already returned to training.

“Stay strong and grateful to God—Always. I have no intention of giving in to despair or withdrawing into myself. I got up and shook off the dust. I’m back in the gym and getting back to work. Look at the tragedy that has befallen Gaza. Even they do not lose heart; They remain steadfast and strong. What right do we—alive and healthy—Have to complain? Alhamdulillah.”

Knockout Loss Leaves Formerly-Undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov on 2-2 Run

Even if Nurmagomedov has in fact returned to the gym, most MMA fans will likely be hoping that the 30-year-old at least doesn’t try to rush back into a UFC return following the first knockout loss of his career.

Merab Dvalishvili (red gloves) fights Umar Nurmagomedov (blue gloves) during UFC 311 at Intuit Dome. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

After starting his professional MMA career with 12 victories, Nurmagomedov made his UFC debut in 2021 and earned a “Performance of the Night” bonus for his second-round submission against Sergey Morozov.

Umar Nurmagomedov (red gloves) reacts after the fight against Deiveson Figueiredo (blue gloves) during UFC 324 at T-Mobile Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Nurmagomedov also submitted Brian Kelleher and knocked out Raoni Barcelos as part of a 6-0 start to his UFC career before earning a bantamweight title shot at UFC 311, where he dropped a decision to Merab Dvalishvili.

Song Yadong Closing in on UFC Title Shot After UFC Shanghai Upset

The 30-year-old rebounded from his first loss with back-to-back wins over Mario Bautista and
Deiveson Figueiredo, but for now the stunning loss to Song will at least temporarily delay Nurmagomedov’s hopes of securing a second crack at the bantamweight belt.

Sean O’Malley (red gloves) fights Song Yadong (blue gloves) during UFC 324 at T-Mobile Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As devastating a result as it may have been for Nurmagomedov, the conclusion to last Saturday’s UFC Shanghai card was easily the most significant moment of Song’s fighting career.

Henry Cejudo (red gloves) fights Song Yadong (blue gloves) in the bantamweight bout during UFC Fight Night at Climate Pledge Arena. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

“Kung Fu Kid” opened his year with a loss to Sean O’Malley but is now 3-1 across his last four fights, defeating two former UFC titleholders in Henry Cejudo and Deiveson Figueiredo during that stretch to go along with his incredible finish of Nurmagomedov in Shanghai.