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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will once again venture away from the familiarity of its Meta Apex facility and ship its cast and crew across the world for the upcoming UFC Shanghai<\/strong> fight card, locked and loaded for tomorrow (Sat., Aug. 29, 2026) from inside Shanghai Indoor Stadium in Shanghai, China, featuring a 135-pound headliner pitting former title challenger Umar Nurmagomedov<\/strong> against No. 6-ranked contender Yadong Song<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Remember, you\u2019ll need a subscription to Paramount+ to stream this weekend\u2019s event (sign up here).<\/p>\n Before we dive into the main and co-main event, which includes the 205-pound showdown between women\u2019s strawweight sluggers Xiaonan Yan<\/strong> and Denise Gomes<\/strong>, check out Andrew Richardson\u2019s \u201cX-Factor\u201d breakdown for the rest of the UFC Shanghai main card by clicking here. Get all the latest \u201cNurmagomedov vs. Song\u201d odds and betting props courtesy of FanDuel right here. For UFC Shanghai live results and play-by-play click here.<\/p>\n Umar Nurmagomedov<\/strong> Song \u201cKung Fu Kid\u201d Yadong<\/strong> Umar Nurmagomedov is probably closer to a bantamweight title shot than UFC Shanghai opponent Yadong Song, even though he came up shot against Merab Dvalishvili in his first crack at the crown in the UFC 311 co-main event back in early 2025. It was a close contest, with Dvalishvili pulling away in the second half of the fight. I guess that all depends on what happens with Petr Yan, who is now division champion, as the promotion may want \u201cNo Mercy\u201d to first complete his trilogy against \u201cThe Machine.\u201d But outside of his UFC 311 loss, Nurmagomedov has been pretty much unstoppable, rebounding with consecutive victories over ranked contenders Mario Bautista and Deiveson Figueiredo. He also holds a decision nod over No. 5-ranked Cory Sandhagen, so a clean, uncontroversial win against Song will all but cement his place atop the 135-pound weight class. You can argue that Sean O\u2019Malley is the bigger star, but he looked terrible in his two title fights against Dvalishvili, so he would need Yan to retain to keep himself in the conversation.<\/p>\n Or they can book Nurmagomedov vs. O\u2019Malley while Yan and Dvalishvili settle their feud.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t care about that fight, whether they\u2019re gonna fight or not,\u201d Nurmagomedov said (via UFC.com). \u201cFor myself, I want to show my best version [at UFC Shanghai] and I will do it, Inshallah. If Petr is gonna win, I think they should give the chance for O\u2019Malley. They\u2019re gonna do the rematch. I expect that. If Merab is gonna win, I think I\u2019m next. Depends on how they\u2019re gonna fight, and after this fight, I think there is just two guys and we\u2019ll see. I\u2019m expecting maybe Petr is gonna beat him again and maybe they will try and do revenge with me and Merab. Maybe it\u2019s gonna happen like that. Anyways, I\u2019m gonna be ready \u2014 I will train, I will fight with anybody.\u201d<\/p>\n Yadong Song is a well-rounded fighter who hits with power and is just coming into his fighting prime at age 28. That said, the \u201cKung Fu Kid\u201d has struggled to stay consistent after working his way up the 135-pound ladder and continues to lose to the top half of the bantamweight division, registering losses to Petr Yan, Sean O\u2019Malley, and Corey Sandhagen. There is certainly no shame in losing to the elite fighters of his division, but I would put Umar Nurmagomedov in that same class, which does not bode well for Song on fight night. Umar averages more than four takedowns per three rounds of action and Song has been dragged to the mat by everyone from Deiveson Figueiredo to Kyler Phillips, so I think it\u2019s a matter of when \u2014 not if \u2014 he gets dropped by Nurmagomedov. I also think Umar is good enough on the feet to keep it standing when he needs to, regardless of Song\u2019s power. Outside of the hometown fans cheering his every move, I\u2019m not sure where Song has an advantage or even a path to victory and he may spend a majority of this bout fighting from his back.<\/p>\n \u201dUmar is a very tough guy,\u201d Song said at the UFC Shanghai media day. \u201cI said he\u2019s going to be very easy for me, but every fighter has to say whatever they\u2019re going to say. It\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. Before camp started, I went to Georgia to train with Olympic champs and world champs. They 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. This 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 Song has been grappling for 15 years and still got taken down by Figueiredo, Yan, and even Ricky Simon, so I\u2019m not sure that means anything. I also don\u2019t think a couple of weeks with Olympic wrestlers is going to prepare you for the Dagestani curse, any more than spending six weeks training with Canelo Alvarez would teach Song how to knock out Sean O\u2019Malley. This is Nurmagomedov\u2019s fight to lose.<\/p>\n Xiaonan \u201cFury\u201d Yan<\/strong> Denise Gomes<\/strong> Xiaonan Yan is to Zhang Weili what Coke Zero is to Coca-Cola. Almost as good as the real thing \u2014 but you can tell something\u2019s missing. Yan has been hovering in and around the division Top 5 for years and even had a chance to defeat Weili at UFC 300 but couldn\u2019t get the job done. \u201cFury\u201d was quick to rebound with a decision win over Tabatha Ricci at UFC Macau, only to give it right back against Virna Jandiroba at UFC 314. I don\u2019t have a lot of great things to say about Yan because she\u2019s not really great at anything. Similarly, I can\u2019t really say anything bad about her either, because she\u2019s not really bad at any particular aspect of MMA. She can strike, grapple, has good cardio, just no killer instinct. Eight of her nine wins under the UFC banner have gone to the judges\u2019 scorecards and I\u2019m not sure that\u2019s going to change at UFC Shanghai. On the plus side, Yan has only been finished twice in 25 professional fights, so we can add durability to her list of positive attributes. How much longer that lasts now that Yan is 37 remains to be seen. Helping her cause is a 2022 victory over Mackenzie Dern, though the Dern of 2022 was probably nowhere close to the fighter she is now in terms of growth and maturity.<\/p>\n \u201cThis feels special for me, especially in Shanghai, because my debut for UFC was in Shanghai,\u201d Yan told UFC.com. \u201cAfter nine years, I\u2019m coming back. Every fight, we learn a lot of lessons. From the last fight, I think the most important thing is don\u2019t be hesitant. You\u2019ve got to trust yourself. Don\u2019t wait too much. I was waiting maybe because I got caught with the takedown in the last fight. I really, really like this opponent, because there are a lot of similarities between us. We both like to strike and throw heavy shots. She\u2019s young and aggressive, and I like opponents like that, because it\u2019s easier for me to show my aggression in the striking department. I don\u2019t think I\u2019m far away [from a title shot]. Maybe after this one, one more victory. Or, if I get a really good performance this time, the next one could be a title fight.\u201d<\/p>\n Denise Gomes is just 26 years old but has already been fighting in UFC for over four years, thanks to an impressive performance against fellow Brazilian Rayanne dos Santos on Season 6 of Dana White\u2019s \u201cContender Series\u201d back in summer 2022. Gomes struggled early, posting a 2-2 record in her first four fights, but has since found her footing and rattled off four straight wins. That includes her unanimous decision victory over veteran bruiser Tecia Pennington at UFC Vegas 111 late last year. Gomes is an aggressive striker who loves to bang but has yet to register a single submission in her professional career, a stat that is unlikely to change against Yan in Shanghai. I still expect her to utilize her offensive wrestling, something she did to great success in wins over Elise Reed and Bruna Brasil, I\u2019m just not sure she\u2019s strong enough to keep a fighter with Yan\u2019s strength from popping right back up once the action hits the floor.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m coming off a four-fight winning streak, and that gives me a lot of confidence for this fight,\u201d Gomes told UFC.com. \u201cYan is a great opponent for me to show that I can do at a high level, with the girls who are at the top, what I have already been doing. So, I\u2019m confident, and I\u2019m really looking forward to seeing myself in action and to showcase everything I\u2019ve been training for, everything I\u2019ve been dedicating myself to, and show how I\u2019ve grown, which has given me a lot of confidence. Her style really matches up well against mine. I\u2019m a striker, and this is a chance to show that I\u2019m one of the best strikers in the UFC. And it\u2019s a chance to show that I\u2019m not only a striker, it\u2019s just the tip of the iceberg. This win against Xiaonan \u2014 it\u2019s going to put my name at the top. In a way, I won\u2019t just be fighting her \u2014 I\u2019ll be fighting all of them, the girls she has won or lost to. So, that\u2019ll put my name on the map, and I\u2019m sure they\u2019ll start looking at me differently.\u201d<\/p>\n Yan has never been overwhelmed by a striker and she\u2019s not going to start at UFC Shanghai. The winner of this fight boils down to who controls the wrestling. Yan took Weili down three times and scored five takedowns against Karolina Kowalkiewicz, but can she keep herself upright long enough to stay in control? Gomes is likely to have her moments, I just think \u201cFury\u201d is too experienced and too tactical to be thwarted by the younger, more reckless Gomes.<\/p>\n135 lbs.: Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Song Yadong<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
Record<\/strong>: 20-1 | Age<\/strong>: 30 | Betting line<\/strong>: -550
Wins<\/strong>: 2 KO\/TKO, 7 SUB, 11 DEC | Losses<\/strong>: 0 KO\/TKO, 0 SUB, 1 DEC
Height<\/strong>: 5\u20198\u201c | Reach<\/strong>: 69\u201d | Stance<\/strong>: Orthodox
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute<\/strong>: 3.86 | Striking accuracy<\/strong>: 56%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute<\/strong>: 1.86 | Striking Defense<\/strong>: 61%
Takedown Average<\/strong>: 4.03 (46% accuracy) | Takedown Defense:<\/strong> 79%
Current Ranking<\/strong>: No. 2 | Last fight<\/strong>: Unanimous decision win over Deiveson Figueiredo<\/p>\n
Record<\/strong>: 23-9-1, 1 NC | Age<\/strong>: 28 | Betting line<\/strong>: +400
Wins<\/strong>: 9 KO\/TKO, 4 SUB, 10 DEC | Losses<\/strong>: 2 KO\/TKO, 0 SUB, 6 DEC, 1 DQ
Height<\/strong>: 5\u20198\u201d | Reach<\/strong>: 67\u201d | Stance<\/strong>: Orthodox
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute:<\/strong> 4.34 | Striking accuracy<\/strong>: 43%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute<\/strong>: 3.81 | Striking Defense<\/strong>: 55%
Takedown Average<\/strong>: 0.82 (41% accuracy) | Takedown Defense:<\/strong> 73%
Current Ranking<\/strong>: No. 6 | Last fight<\/strong>: Submission win over Deiveson Figueiredo<\/p>\nPrediction: Nurmagomedov def. Song by decision<\/strong><\/em><\/h4>\n<\/p>\n
115 lbs.: Xiaonan Yan vs. Denise Gomes<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
Record<\/strong>: 19-5, 1 NC | Age<\/strong>: 37 | Betting line<\/strong>: -155
Wins<\/strong>: 8 KO\/TKO, 1 SUB, 10 DEC | Losses<\/strong>: 1 KO\/TKO, 1 SUB, 3 DEC
Height<\/strong>: 5\u20195\u201c | Reach<\/strong>: 63\u201d | Stance<\/strong>: Orthodox
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute:<\/strong> 4.69 | Striking accuracy<\/strong>: 45%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute<\/strong>: 3.23 | Striking Defense<\/strong>: 60%
Takedown Average<\/strong>: 0.84 (73% accuracy) | Takedown Defense:<\/strong> 64%
Current Ranking<\/strong>: No. 4 | Last fight<\/strong>: Unanimous decision loss to Virna Jandiroba<\/p>\n
Record<\/strong>: 12-3 | Age<\/strong>: 26 | Betting line<\/strong>: +130
Wins<\/strong>: 7 KO\/TKO, 0 SUB, 5 DEC | Losses<\/strong>: 1 KO\/TKO, 0 SUB, 2 DEC
Height<\/strong>: 5\u20192\u201c | Reach<\/strong>: 63\u201d | Stance<\/strong>: Orthodox
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute<\/strong>: 4.43 | Striking accuracy<\/strong>: 49%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute<\/strong>: 3.16 | Striking Defense<\/strong>: 51%
Takedown Average<\/strong>: 1.45 (34% accuracy) | Takedown Defense:<\/strong> 66%
Current Ranking<\/strong>: No. 9 | Last fight<\/strong>: Unanimous decision win over Tecia Pennington<\/p>\nPrediction: Yan def. Gomes by decision<\/strong><\/em><\/h4>\n<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t forget to check out the rest of the UFC Shanghai main card predictions RIGHT HERE.<\/strong><\/h5>\n