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Umar Nurmagomedov | Staying Active, Handling Business
Bantamweight Standout Umar Nurmagomedov Talks Title Aspirations, Tough Pairing With Song Yadong At UFC Shanghai
Umar Nurmagomedov has already made one climb to the top of the bantamweight division to challenge for championship gold, ultimately falling short of his goal against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 311 to start 2025.
Since then, the skilled 30-year-old has earned a pair of wins to further solidify his standing as one of the top contenders in the 135-pound weight class, first halting Mario Bautista’s lengthy win streak last October in Abu Dhabi, before turning aside former flyweight titleholder Deiveson Figueiredo in January to advance to 8-1 inside the Octagon and 20-1 overall for his career.
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Now, Nurmagomedov continues his efforts to secure a second opportunity to fight for UFC gold by stepping into a main event assignment opposite Song Yadong on his opponent’s home soil.
“I think we’re just two guys in top 5 who don’t have fight,” Nurmagomedov said earlier this week when asked about Saturday’s matchup with Song in Shanghai and why taking this fight was the right decision for him… When they said they’re gonna do event in Shanghai, I was thinking about that fight. I thought maybe they were gonna put Song Yadong, but at that time, I had an opponent already — (David) Martinez — but when they tell me he’s injured, I understand they’re gonna make (this fight).”
Umar Nurmagomedov: 'I Will Be Happy To Get The Knockout' | UFC Shanghai
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Umar Nurmagomedov: 'I Will Be Happy To Get The Knockout' | UFC Shanghai
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Nurmagomedov was indeed penciled in to face Martinez toward the end of July in a bout that felt slightly out of line with the path each competitor is on at the moment.
Where Nurmagomedov is jockeying for position in the championship chase and stationed at No. 2 and No. 3 in the Meta and media rankings, respectively, the 28-year-old Martinez is a star on the rise — coming off consecutive wins over veterans Rob Font and Marlon “Chito” Vera — but has not yet faced the level of competition or delivered the type of performance that suggests he’s ready to be rushed into the title conversation.
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His injury proved to be a fortuitous twist of fate, as Nurmagomedov was quickly rebooked into this weekend’s main event opposite Song, while Martinez will take on veteran Dan Ige in his divisional debut at Noche UFC next month in Glendale, Arizona.
Admittedly, neither the scuttled pairing with Martinez nor Saturday’s fascinating showdown with “The Kung Fu Kid” were what the Dagestani was anticipating as his next assignment.
“I was expecting (the title shot), but anyways, I want to fight,” he said frankly. “If it’s (not going) to be for the title, I can fight with anybody.”
When asked to give his assessment on the rubber match between Yan and Dvalishvili at UFC 33, Nurmagomedov is quite frank about how things could play out in the aftermath.
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“If Petr is gonna win, I think they should give the chance for (Sean) O’Malley,” he said. “They’re gonna do the rematch. I expect that. If Merab is gonna win, I think I’m next. Depends on how they’re gonna fight, and after this fight, I think there is just two guys and we’ll see.
“I’m expecting maybe Petr is gonna beat him again and maybe they will try and do revenge with me and Merab. Maybe it’s gonna happen like that. Anyways, I’m gonna be ready — I will train, I will fight with anybody.”
Umar Nurmagomedov & Song Yadong Interview | UFC Shanghai
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Umar Nurmagomedov & Song Yadong Interview | UFC Shanghai
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That’s the basic approach Nurmagomedov takes at all times — a modified version of ‘anyone, anywhere, anytime’ that is only interrupted by his observance of Ramadan each year. Ideally, he would like to compete more often than he has thus far in his UFC career as he has logged nine appearances in about six years on the roster.
Saturday will be his second fight of 2026, giving him three consecutive years of competing in the Octagon twice annually, and while it’s been a decent pace given his standing in the division, Nurmagomedov would like to see his schedule average out to one fight every five months.
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In the interim, he’s been staying in shape and ready to compete, as always, training with the elite unit led by his cousin, former UFC lightweight champion and UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov.
This time around, his preparations coincided with those of his brother, undefeated lightweight free agent Usman Nurmagomedov, and UFC welterweight champ Islam Makhachev, who successfully defended his title for the first time two weeks ago in Philadelphia at UFC 330.
“It’s awesome to train together,” Nurmagomedov said. “We can learn from teammates and atmosphere in the gym is very nice, everybody is focused on his own fight; we like it.”
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With his brother and Makhachev having already registered victories, he heads into the Octagon on Saturday looking to complete the team’s trifecta, focused solely on delivering his best performance possible and not at all worried about auditioning for another title opportunity next time out.
That part is out of his hands, so Nurmagomedov is concerned with doing his best this weekend and emerging with another win.
“First, I am gonna be happy to do knockout, but this guy is not an easy fight,” he said. “We both, I think, are going to show what it means to do mixed martial arts… Of course I want to show my best version. I don’t care about that fight (between Yan and Dvalishvili) — whether they’re gonna fight or not. For myself, I want to show my best version and I will do it, Inshallah.”
UFC Fight Night: Nurmagomedov vs Song took place live from Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai, China on August 29, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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