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\u201cThe Kung Fu Kid\u201d is ready for gold.<\/p>\n
No. 6-ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Bantamweight contender Song Yadong<\/strong> returns to action against former title challenger Umar Nurmagomedov<\/strong> in the main event of UFC Shanghai this weekend (Sat., Aug. 29, 2026) inside Shanghai Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai, China.<\/p>\n So, when UFC came calling, Song immediately jumped at the opportunity.<\/p>\n \u201cOne week after my last fight, UFC called me to fight Umar, and I said yes,\u201d Song told UFC.com. \u201cThis is a big opportunity for me. With this fight, I will get a title shot. I feel good. This year, I feel very healthy mentally and physically. I have another new coach and a new nutritionist. This is the reason why I\u2019m able to fight so much this year.\u201d<\/p>\n Even if Song pulls off the upset, however, a title shot is far from guaranteed.<\/p>\n In other words, Song faces an uphill climb even with a victory Saturday.<\/p>\n Nevertheless, he must first get past Nurmagomedov \u2014 something only Dvalishvili has accomplished thus far. Despite Nurmagomedov\u2019s reputation as one of the division\u2019s best grapplers, Song believes his own ground game is more than good enough to survive.<\/p>\n \u201cUmar is a very tough guy. I said he\u2019s going to be very easy for me, but every fighter has to say whatever they\u2019re going to say,\u201d Song said. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be a big challenge. Everyone knows he\u2019s a very good grappler, but I\u2019ve trained grappling for 15 years. I just prefer to knock people out. If you want to grapple, let\u2019s grapple.\u201d<\/p>\n Song also traveled to Georgia before beginning his training camp to work with Olympic and world champion wrestlers familiar with the system used by Khabib Nurmagomedov<\/strong> and his team.<\/p>\n \u201cBefore camp started, I went to Georgia to train with Olympic champs and world champs,\u201d Song said. \u201cThey taught me a lot, and they know what Khabib\u2019s team does, so they taught me some tricks. I feel super ready for this fight.\u201d<\/p>\n Song believes beating Nurmagomedov will be enough to secure his first UFC title opportunity. With Yan, Dvalishvili and O\u2019Malley all hovering around the championship, however, \u201cThe Kung Fu Kid\u201d may need to do more than win \u2014 he may need to make himself impossible to overlook.<\/p>\n