Cejudo On Nurmagomedov's Shocking Shanghai Loss

Henry Cejudo thinks Umar Nurmagomedov got caught with a lucky punch at UFC Shanghai.

The former two-division UFC champion told listeners of his "Pound 4 Pound" podcast that Nurmagomedov remains the superior fighter despite Song Yadong's stunning second-round stoppage earlier this month. "I think nine out of 10 times Umar gets it done in whatever he wants to, in my opinion," Cejudo said, per MMA Junkie. "This is just one of those times, one of those fights where legit you just get caught on the spot, and that's it."

Weight Cut Questions After Knockout

Cejudo floated the possibility that a difficult weight cut left Nurmagomedov vulnerable to the finish. He also suggested the Russian was overthrown on the sequence that led to the uppercut. The knockout was a major setback for Nurmagomedov, who had only one prior loss — a competitive decision against bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili — and was positioned for another title run.

The analysis ignores several moments where Yadong controlled exchanges before landing the finish. The Chinese fighter stuffed a takedown, scrambled free from bottom position, and connected with multiple hard body shots. Yadong set up the uppercut by attacking the body and capitalizing on a defensive tendency he identified in Nurmagomedov's striking.

Yadong beat Cejudo via technical decision last year following an eye poke. Nurmagomedov will likely need multiple wins to earn another title shot, while Yadong entered the top-five conversation at 135 pounds.

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• MMA Mania — Lucky shot? Henry Cejudo argues that Umar Nurmagomedov defeats Song Yadong ‘nine out of 10 times’