Song Yadong Says Usman Nurmagomedov Did Not Attack Him
Song Yadong says Usman Nurmagomedov did not try to attack him after jumping the cage at UFC Shanghai. The comments, shared Monday by Home of Fight from a BiliBili interview, are the first public remarks from the man who actually crossed paths with Umar Nurmagomedov’s brother in the Octagon.
Song knocked out Umar with a right uppercut at 1:48 of Round 2 in the UFC Fight Night 286 main event on August 29. The finish came at SPD Bank Oriental Sports Center in front of 16,188 fans and handed Umar the first stoppage loss of his career.
Song improved to 24-9-1 (1 NC) overall and 13-4-1 in the UFC. Umar fell to 20-2 and 8-2 inside the promotion.
Song entered the bout ranked No. 6 at bantamweight. Umar came in ranked No. 2 and was widely viewed as the next title challenger at 135 pounds.
Seconds after the stoppage, Usman climbed into the cage to check on his brother. Song was already running the fence in celebration, and the two collided.
Slow-motion clips appeared to show Usman loading a spinning elbow before pulling it back. Online debate followed immediately, with some viewers accusing the PFL lightweight champion of trying to hit Song.
Song does not share that reading. He said the replay looks worse than the moment felt in the cage.
“Watching the slow motion, it looked like he was turning around to throw an elbow or something, but actually I understand because they are brothers, you know?”
That distinction matters because Song is the person Usman actually ran into. His account lines up with what Usman and Umar’s camp have already argued: the rush was about family, not a cheap shot.
“The internet said he wanted to maliciously attack me, he just thought I was going over to attack him.”
Song’s explanation is simple. He was sprinting the long way around the Octagon. Usman was trying to reach an unconscious brother. The two paths met in a crowded, emotional second.
“Because he went over to check on his brother, and suddenly someone runs over, like you’d definitely react that way.”
Usman has denied any intent to strike Song. In a translated Instagram statement after the event, he said people should calm down and added that if he had wanted to hit Song, he would have hit him.
American Kickboxing Academy coach Javier Mendez, who was not in Shanghai because of a passport issue, made a similar point. Mendez said the tape shows an instinctive motion and an immediate decision not to throw.
Daniel Cormier has also defended Usman, saying he did not attack Song and was trying to get to his brother. Cormier still noted that jumping the cage is not allowed.
UFC Hall of Famer Chris Weidman took the harder line. Weidman said Usman “should be in trouble, 100 percent, from the commission for jumping the cage and acting like that,” and pointed out that Usman also climbed in after Islam Makhachev’s win at UFC 302 in 2024.
No fine or suspension has been announced. UFC Shanghai was held in China, which does not operate a U.S.-style athletic commission, so any penalty would likely have to come from the promotion.
The scene did not turn into a brawl. Khabib Nurmagomedov, who was in Umar’s corner, later helped wipe blood from a cut over Song’s eye, and Song went to the Dagestani corner to pay his respects.
That aftermath is now the part Song wants people to remember. He is not asking for punishment, and he is not feeding the clip war over an elbow that never landed.
The larger fight picture has not changed. Petr Yan holds the bantamweight title and meets Merab Dvalishvili in a trilogy at UFC 333 on October 24 in Abu Dhabi.
Song has already asked for the winner. He called the knockout the best moment of his life and told the Shanghai crowd he wants to become China’s first men’s UFC champion.
Usman remains a free agent after finishing his PFL contract, and his next cage appearance has not been booked. Until the UFC or a regulator says otherwise, the only person who made contact with him in Shanghai has already said there was no malicious attack.