Umar Nurmagomedov expects tough test against Song

Nurmagomedov knows Song will be anything but an easy opponent

Umar Nurmagomedov is in for a very tough test when he faces Song Yadong in his upcoming main event.

Umar Nurmagomedov aims to extend his winning streak to three consecutive victories at UFC Shanghai, but he knows full well that it will be anything but easy against his opponent, Song Yadong. He suffered the only loss of his professional career against Merab Dvalishvili, but has since rebounded strongly. Since then, he has fought Mario Bautista and Deiveson Figueiredo, winning both by unanimous decision. If he continues on this path and also defeats Song Yadong, he might just be able to secure a title shot. Nevertheless, he’s currently trying to focus on the fight at hand rather than looking too far ahead.

“Of course, I'm going to be happy to do a knockout, you know, but this guy is not an easy fight. And I will, I will, we both, I think, we're going to show what they mean by mixed martial arts”

he said.

He also emphasized that his motivation actually goes beyond the title shot. Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili will face off for the title at UFC 333, but Umar Nurmagomedov isn't fazed by it and is trying to stay focused on himself.

“Of course, I want to show my best version. I don't care about that fight, whether they're going to fight or not, like, for myself, I want to show my best version”

he said.

So he sounds pretty focused, but we won't find out what this will bring him until the end. The only thing that's certain is that if he wins this fight, he might have another shot at something bigger.

I think Umar Nurmagomedov really wants to win this fight, and ideally would like to have a rematch with Merab Dvalishvili afterward. That would be a pretty interesting story, and I don’t think it’s all that unrealistic. I’m curious to see how the fights turn out.