UFC Fight Night: Nurmagomedov vs. Song Picks, Predictions, Odds & Full Card

The UFC returns to Shanghai on Saturday morning as Umar Nurmagomedov faces Song Yadong in a bantamweight main event at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center. The preliminary card begins at 3 a.m. ET, followed by the six-fight main card at 6 a.m. ET on Paramount+.

Nurmagomedov enters with a 20-1 professional record, with his only defeat coming against Merab Dvalishvili in a five-round title fight at UFC 311. He responded by handing Mario Bautista his first loss in more than four years at UFC 321 before earning another unanimous decision over former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo in January. Nurmagomedov has now won eight of his nine UFC appearances, using his striking and relentless grappling to average more than four takedowns per 15 minutes.

Song returns home with a 23-9-1 record and one no contest. He opened 2026 with a decision loss to former bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley, but needed only four months to get back into the win column. Song headlined the UFC’s return to Macau in May and submitted Figueiredo with a guillotine choke late in the second round, recording his first submission victory since his UFC debut in 2017.

Saturday’s matchup gives Song another opportunity to perform in front of the home crowd. He is 3-0 in UFC fights held in China, with victories in Shanghai, Beijing and Macau. Song made his UFC debut at the promotion’s inaugural Shanghai event in November 2017, submitting Bharat Khandare in the first round.

The co-main event also features one of China’s leading contenders, as former strawweight title challenger Yan Xiaonan faces Denise Gomes. Yan returns for the first time since losing a unanimous decision to Virna Jandiroba in April 2025. She previously challenged Zhang Weili for the championship at UFC 300 and owns notable victories over current champion Mackenzie Dern and former titleholder Jéssica Andrade.

Gomes enters Shanghai on a four-fight winning streak. The 26-year-old has defeated Eduarda Moura, Karolina Kowalkiewicz, Elise Reed and Tecia Pennington during that run, improving her professional record to 12-3. A victory over Yan would give Gomes the biggest win of her career and strengthen her position in the strawweight title picture.

Elsewhere on the main card, former RIZIN champion Kai Asakura looks to build on his first UFC victory when he faces Aoriqileng. Alex Perez and Sumudaerji will meet again after their May matchup ended in a no contest following an accidental low blow. The card also includes an intriguing UFC debut between undefeated flyweights Bilal Hasan and Nilson Rojas. Hasan earned his contract with a 45-second knockout on Dana White’s Contender Series earlier this month, while Rojas has recorded seven finishes during his 9-0 professional career.

This will be the UFC’s third event in Shanghai and its second in as many years. The promotion made its first trip to the city in 2017 before returning last August, when Johnny Walker upset Zhang Mingyang with a second-round stoppage in the main event. One year later, Song gets the opportunity to headline in Shanghai for the first time.

UFC Fight Night: Nurmagomedov vs. Song Full Card & Odds

Nurmagomedov enters Saturday’s main event as one of the card’s largest favorites. Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook lists him at -600, with Song available at +400 as the underdog.

Here’s a look at the full UFC Shanghai card and the latest betting odds available at Hard Rock Bet:

Referenced odds subject to change.

Best Bet for UFC Fight Night: Nurmagomedov vs. Song

Before placing any bets on the fights, don’t forget to check out Hard Rock Bet’s Stats Hub for countless trends, streaks and data points to help you make smarter wagers. Here’s one angle that stood out:

Song Yadong – Fight Winner (+400): Nurmagomedov deserves to enter Saturday’s main event as the favorite, but Song has enough relevant history to make him a dangerous underdog at this massive price.

Song has now won each of his last five UFC matchups against opponents who use an orthodox stance. That streak includes victories over Figueiredo, Henry Cejudo, Chris Gutierrez, Ricky Simon and Marlon Moraes. Nurmagomedov also fights from an orthodox stance.

More importantly for this particular matchup, Song has held up well against opponents who want to wrestle. Cejudo failed on all three of his takedown attempts, while Simon landed only two of nine before Song stopped him in the fifth round. Figueiredo went 1-for-4 on takedowns in May, with Song eventually countering another attempt by securing the guillotine choke that ended the fight. Those three opponents combined to convert only three of 16 takedown attempts against Song.

Song owns a 73% takedown-defense rate across his UFC career and prepared for Nurmagomedov with an especially wrestling-heavy camp, including work with Olympic and world champion wrestlers in Georgia. He will also have a lively home crowd behind him in a country where he has won all three of his previous UFC appearances.

Nurmagomedov presents the most difficult grappling challenge of Song’s career, but the local favorite has the takedown defense, power and countering ability to make the fight more competitive than the odds suggest. With Stats Hub highlighting his five straight wins over orthodox opponents, Song Yadong Fight Winner is our best bet for Saturday’s card.

UFC Fight Night: Nurmagomedov vs. Song Event Info

• 📅 Date: Saturday, August 29
• ⏰ Start Time: 3:00 a.m. ET (Prelims), 6:00 a.m. ET (Main Card)
• 🏟️ Location: Shanghai Oriental Sports Center – Shanghai, China
• 💻 Streaming: Paramount+

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