Song Yadong has officially entered the UFC bantamweight title conversation.
The Chinese standout delivered the biggest victory of his career Saturday at UFC Shanghai, knocking out former title challenger Umar Nurmagomedov in the second round. The victory came at 1:48 of Round 2 and immediately changed the outlook for Yadong’s future in the division.
Yadong entered the fight ranked sixth in the UFC bantamweight division, while Nurmagomedov was ranked third. Many viewed the matchup as a potential title eliminator, and Yadong lived up to the moment with an impressive performance in front of his home crowd.
The win was particularly important for Yadong after he lost a unanimous decision to Sean O’Malley earlier this year. Rather than allowing that setback to derail his title hopes, Yadong bounced back with a submission victory over Deiveson Figueiredo in May before delivering the biggest knockout of his UFC career.
Now, the question is whether Yadong has done enough to earn a shot at the UFC bantamweight championship.
One possibility is a direct title shot. Much of that will depend on what happens when Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili meet. If Dvalishvili wins, Yadong could have a strong argument for being next in line, especially because he has not fought Dvalishvili before. A third fight between Dvalishvili and O’Malley would also be difficult to justify, potentially opening the door for Yadong.
However, if Yan retains the championship, the UFC could choose to revisit a matchup between Yan and O’Malley. In that scenario, Yadong could be matched up with another top contender such as Mario Bautista in a No. 1 contender fight.
Regardless of what comes next, Yadong has made his case. He is now riding consecutive wins and has proven that he can compete with the elite of the 135-pound division.
At 28 years old, Yadong is entering what could be the most important stretch of his career. His knockout of Nurmagomedov has put him on the doorstep of a UFC title shot. Now, he just has to wait and see whether the UFC believes he is ready to walk through it.
