Usman Nurmagomedov denies elbowing Song Yadong after brother's UFC Shanghai knockout

Usman Nurmagomedov has rejected accusations that he deliberately threw an elbow at Song Yadong during a post-fight collision at UFC Shanghai on Saturday, saying in a social media statement that critics should “calm down” and put the incident in perspective.

The flashpoint came moments after Song stopped Umar Nurmagomedov with a perfectly timed uppercut — only the second defeat of Umar’s career — to claim the biggest win of his professional life. Usman, the reigning PFL lightweight champion, immediately entered the cage to check on his brother and the two men collided as Song sprinted around the canvas in celebration. Video of the brief contact prompted widespread speculation that Usman had thrown a deliberate elbow strike.

Usman flatly denied the allegation in an Instagram post. “People make such a big tragedy out of this, they would [be] better [to] calm down,” he wrote, according to a translation of his remarks. “There are things that are much worse, you don’t have to think too long, just look at what is happening in the world.”

He was equally direct in dismissing the idea that the contact was intentional. “At the expense of the fact that I allegedly wanted to hit his opponent — if I wanted to, I would’ve hit him.”

Nurmagomedov also turned his statement into a broader defence of family loyalty, taking aim at those he felt were too quick to judge. “Evil little and jealous people,” he wrote. “Your problem is that you have never had and will never have the understanding and love of the family. If you don’t know what a brother means to a brother, then you should feel sorry not for me, but for you.”

Song, for his part, appeared untroubled by the collision at the time. He never broke stride during his celebration and later made his way to Nurmagomedov’s corner to pay his respects to head coach Khabib, a gesture that drew praise from observers at the event.

Umar Nurmagomedov subsequently released a statement of his own confirming he was in good health after the stoppage, offering some reassurance to fans concerned by the severity of the knockout.