Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Song Yadong headlines UFC Shanghai Aug. 29
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Umar Nurmagomedov will face Song Yadong in the main event of UFC Shanghai on Aug. 29 at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center, as Red Fury MMA first reported and MMAmania.com confirmed.
The bantamweight matchup replaces Nurmagomedov's previously scheduled fight with David Martinez at UFC Abu Dhabi, which fell apart when Martinez pulled out. The bout sends the Dagestani contender into hostile territory against the fifth-ranked Chinese fighter, who will be competing in front of his home crowd for the second straight time.
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Nurmagomedov seeks bounce-back after title loss
Nurmagomedov enters the contest on a two-fight winning streak following his championship loss to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 311. The 30-year-old stopped Deiveson Figueiredo and Mario Bautista to climb back into contention after the title setback ended an 18-fight unbeaten run. His 20-1 record includes six UFC victories, and the Shanghai bout marks his second Octagon main event.
Yadong submitted Figueiredo in the second round at UFC Macau in his most recent outing, bouncing back from a unanimous decision defeat to Sean O'Malley at UFC 324. The 28-year-old carries a 23-9-1 overall mark and a 12-4-1 UFC ledger into his third fight of 2026.
🎟️ Get tickets: Buy tickets to RAF Abu Dhabi on Ticketmaster →
No other bouts have been announced for the Shanghai card, though the promotion is expected to stack the lineup with Asian talent. The event marks UFC's return to mainland China after a lengthy absence from the market.
Original reporting:
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