Monthly Report | August 2026

When Song submitted Deiveson Figueiredo earlier this year in Macau, the consensus takeaway was that he still wasn’t quite good enough to beat the names positioned ahead of him in the rankings. The assessment came from not only his loss to Sean O’Malley at UFC 324, but the fact each of Song’s last three defeats inside the Octagon came against athletes stationed ahead of him in the rankings, including champ Petr Yan and Cory Sandhagen. However, Song bounced a right hand off the side of Umar Nurmagomedov’s head that slumped the former title challenger and gave him a chance to pound out the finish as the crowd at Oriental Sports Center went ballistic. Nurmagomedov had only been beaten once, losing to then-champ Merab Dvalishvili in a competitive title bout at UFC 311, and Song got him out of there in less than seven minutes.

This was the moment where Song went from being a perennial all-star to a legitimate MVP candidate. He was always considered really good, but few anticipated he would become of the two or three best fighters in the bantamweight division, and yet, here we are. This wasn’t a fluke or some lucky shot, either. Song clearly did his homework and made his reads, recognizing Nurmagomedov’s tendency to dip off to that side and took full advantage of it. 

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This was a magical moment for an ultra-talented fighter who could very well be next to challenge for the title.

Honorable Mentions: Jovan Leka, Nina Milosevic, Michael Oliveira, Noah Gugnon, Gilbert Urbina, Navajo Stirling, Quillan Salkilld, Shanelle Dyer, Stan Dorsainvil, Anthony Wint, Carli Judice, MarQuel Mederos, Julia Polastri, Hector Santiago, Francesco Nuzzi, Bilal Hasan, Liu Ce, Denise Gomes

Submission of the Month: Charles Johnson hits second Scottish twister in UFC history (UFC 330)

Earlier this year, Murtazali Magomedov introduced the UFC audience to the Scottish twister when he tapped out Melsik Baghdasarayn in June, clamping and arm down over the head and neck of his fellow Contender Series grad as Baghdasaryan tried to swim into top position early in the first round of their featherweight matchup. The rare finish was so impressive that it landed Magomedov both Submission of the Month honors for June and top spot in the Thomas Gerbasi UFC.com Mid-Year Awards. Johnson became the second man to successfully execute the hold at UFC 330 in Philadelphia, forcing a tap from Eduardo Chapolin 96 seconds into the final round of their entertaining, short-notice pairing.

Johnson’s execution was different than Magomedov’s as it came as a result of a tactical miscue when he got a little high on Chapolin’s back and the Brazilian dumped him to the canvas over the top. The weight and momentum carried Chapolin forward to the ground as well, and when he landed, he turned into Johnson, looking to secure top position only for “Inner G” to throw his right arm over the head and use his legs and hips to force Chapolin’s body in the opposite direction, forcing him to tap.

Expect to see more people trying to attempt this move in the future and know that until we get to a point where we’re seeing it once a month at higher levels through the sport, hitting it inside the Octagon will always put you in the running for these honors at the end of the month.

Honorable Mentions: Stephanie Luciano vs Marina Spasic, Bogdan Gra vs Dennis Buzukja, Gugnon vs Milos Janicic, Robert Valentin vs Dusko Todorovic, Salkilld vs Mateusz Gamrot, Jeremiah Wells vs Myktybek Orolbai, Dustin Stoltzfus vs Mansur Abdul-Malik, Chris Padilla vs Nasrat Haqparast, Anthony Wint vs Terrance Chatman, Rei Tsuruya vs Kevin Borjas, Andre Lima vs Namsrai Batbayar

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Knockout of the Month: Julia Polastri shines against Xiong Jingnan (UFC Shanghai)

Even though we’ve seen a lot of these exact finishes over the years — most notably Leon Edwards’ title-winning shot against Kamaru Usman — they never cease to make me audibly shout and get excited. This one was even better because Polastri caught Xiong on the exit, adding a little more thump to the finish itself.

Throughout the first half of the opening round, Polastri was the one pressing the action and landing the better shots although Xiong was happy to trade and found more than a few shots of her own. But the Contender Series grad continued to push forward and hem the Chinese veteran in, getting her into a position where she was constantly behind the black tram line and limited in her movements, which is when she opted to unleash this attack. With Xiong dipping and trying to feint her way into creating space, Polastri pawed with a low left and then stuck her right hand out as an attention-grabber before quickly coming behind it on the same side with the high kick. 

This was an outstanding finish and a performance that elevates Polastri’s profile, but the key for “Psycho” will be to build on it next time out. She’s alternated results throughout her UFC career, but if there was ever a time to break from the pattern, it would be after sending Xiong to The Land of Whispers and Ghosts in Shanghai.

Honorable Mentions: Leka vs Alexander Poppeck, Milosevic vs Hailey Cowan, Oliveira vs Oban Elliott, Urbina vs Vlasto Cepo, Stirling vs Jan Blachowicz, Miles Johns vs Gianni Vasquez, Ty Miller vs Billy Ray Goff, Yadier del Valle vs Darren Elkins, Lucas Fernando vs Rafael Tobias, Jalin Turner vs Kaue Fernandes, Donte Johnson vs Eric McConico, Judice vs Jeisla Chaves, Mederos vs Mason Jones, Santiago vs Lawrence Lui, Nuzzi vs Xiao Long, Hasan vs Nilson Rojas, Liu vs Levi Rodrigues Jr., Gomes vs Yan Xiaonan

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Fight of the Month: Gregory Rodrigues vs Anthony Hernandez (UFC Sacramento)

Given that there were 47 finishes across the month’s 64 fights, that doesn’t exactly leave a ton of contests to draw from when it comes to selecting a Fight of the Month. Not that this award has to go to a bout that goes the distance, but it at least needs to have a little time to it in order to really qualify. Rodrigues and Hernandez get the honors for their headlining tilt in Sacramento, which “Robocop” won by unanimous decision, handing “Fluffy” a second straight defeat and leapfrogging him in the rankings.