Umar Nurmagomedov vs Song Yadong Predictions & Picks
Umar Nurmagomedov is tipped to win this main event fight via decision.
Nurmagomedov’s pressure, grappling and great striking defence can take away Song Yadong’s biggest advantage – resulting in a five-round grind that earns the Russian the nod.
- Umar Nurmagomedov is 8-1 in the UFC
- Each of Umar Nurmagomedov’s last 5 fights have gone the distance
- 3 of Song Yadong’s 4 defeats in the UFC have been by decision
- Umar Nurmagomedov averages 4.03 takedowns per 15 minutes
Umar Nurmagomedov Form
Umar Nurmagomedov is the number three-ranked bantamweight contender with a career record of 20-1 (2 KOs, 7 Subs).
Nurmagomedov debuted in the UFC in early 2021 and enjoyed a successful start as he submitted Sergey Morozov in the second round.
It would be over a year before his sophomore outing, but he made up for lost time with a submission success against Brian Kelleher, and followed that up with a points victory over Nate Maness.
The 30-year-old Russian’s sole outing in 2023 saw him knockout Raoni Barcelos in the first round, and in 2024 he won back-to-back fights to secure a shot at the championship.
Nurmagomedov began the year with a decision win over Bekzat Almakhan, and secured a crack at the crown when he beat Cory Sandhagen on points in a title eliminator.
He failed to complete a rise to the summit though, as he dropped a unanimous decision to Merab Dvalishvili in a bantamweight title fight.
The Russian has since rebounded, recording unanimous decision victories over Mario Bautista and Deiveson Figueiredo to get back on track.
Song Yadong Form
Song Yadong is the number six-ranked bantamweight contender with a professional record of 23-9-1 (9 KOs, 4 Subs) and 1 No Contest.
Song arrived in the UFC in 2017 and reeled off four consecutive wins before going to a majority draw with Cody Stamann.
He bounced back to beat Marlon Vera on unanimous decision, only to then lose on points when he faced Kyler Phillips.
The 28-year-old Chinese fighter bounced back with a three-fight win streak, following up a split decision win over Casey Kenney with knockout victories against Julio Arce and Marlon Moraes.
Song’s run was halted by a fourth-round TKO defeat to Cory Sandhagen, but he again rebounded quickly from a loss, knocking out Ricky Simon before beating Chris Gutierrez on points.
‘The Kung Fu Kid’ then answered a unanimous decision defeat to Petr Yan with a technical decision win over Henry Cejudo, only to suffer a points loss to Sean O’Malley at the start of this year.
He did rebound in May though, as he submitted former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo in the second round.