Cormier defends Usman Nurmagomedov after UFC Shanghai cage confrontation with Song Yadong

Daniel Cormier has defended Usman Nurmagomedov over a post-fight confrontation at UFC Shanghai on Saturday, insisting the PFL lightweight champion did not deliberately attack Song Yadong after the Chinese fighter knocked out Umar Nurmagomedov in the main event.

Song stopped Umar with a devastating uppercut, leaving him unconscious on the canvas. As Song sprinted around the cage in celebration, he ran directly toward Usman, who had jumped into the octagon to reach his brother. Footage of the moment appeared to show Usman making contact with Song, prompting widespread speculation that he had thrown an elbow.

Cormier, speaking on his YouTube channel, was unequivocal in his rebuttal. “Song Yadong is running in the direction of Usman. Usman reacts — he reaches to stop him, like they were going to make contact together,” Cormier said. “He did not elbow him. Let’s stop making conspiracy theories out there, people. He did not elbow him. He did not attack Song Yadong.”

Song never broke stride and continued his celebration before eventually approaching Khabib Nurmagomedov and the rest of the team to pay his respects — a gesture that helped defuse any lingering tension in the arena.

While Cormier was firm that no attack took place, he acknowledged that Usman had no right to be inside the octagon in the first place. “The reason they won’t let people jump in is because of the things that happened with Khabib and Conor [McGregor] and all those other things,” Cormier said. “They cannot control whenever the situation gets chaotic. That’s why Usman cannot do that.”

Still, Cormier was sympathetic to the emotional impulse behind Usman’s actions. “What he did was try to get to his brother — his blood brother,” he said. “Not a friend that you love, not a cousin, not a relative. This is his actual brother. So he jumps into the octagon, which is not allowed, but if there’s any time that someone will deal on emotion, you would think that it was this. I am more inclined to get him a bit of grace because you watch your brother get starched in that way.”

The incident did not escalate further. Medical staff were able to enter the cage and attend to Umar without further disruption. The UFC has not issued a formal statement on the confrontation, and no disciplinary action has been announced.