Nurmagomedov warns Song is 'not an easy fight' ahead of UFC Shanghai main event

Umar Nurmagomedov has acknowledged that his upcoming main event against Yadong Song at UFC Shanghai will be far from straightforward, describing the Chinese bantamweight as a genuine challenge despite his own recent run of form.

Nurmagomedov arrives in China looking to extend his winning streak to three fights after back-to-back unanimous decision victories over Mario Bautista and Deiveson Figueiredo. Those wins came in the wake of the only defeat of his professional career — a bantamweight title fight loss to Merab Dvalishvili in January last year — and a victory over Song on Chinese soil could push the 30-year-old Dagestani back into serious title contention.

“Of course, I’m going to be happy to do a knockout, but this guy is not an easy fight,” Nurmagomedov said in a recent interview. “And I will — we both, I think — we’re going to show what they mean by mixed martial arts.”

Despite the potential title implications, Nurmagomedov insists he is not watching the wider division. Petr Yan and Dvalishvili are set to meet in a trilogy bout for the bantamweight belt at UFC 333, but the Dagestani says the outcome of that fight is irrelevant to his own preparation.

“I don’t care about that fight, whether they’re going to fight or not,” Nurmagomedov said. “For myself, I want to show my best version.”

Song presents a stiff test on multiple fronts. Fighting in front of a home crowd in China adds an extra layer of pressure for Nurmagomedov, who must navigate a well-rounded opponent in an environment that will be firmly against him. A convincing performance, particularly a finish, would make a compelling case for a title shot whichever way the Yan–Dvalishvili fight goes.