Song Yadong Knocks Out Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC Shanghai and Calls for Title Shot

UFC Shanghai produced an electrifying event, with plenty of finishes showcased throughout the card.

The headliner was built up as a likely close contest between two bantamweight contenders, potentially going the distance. However, that proved not to be the case.

Song Yadong gave the Chinese fans a happy ending while leaving viewers in absolute shock as he knocked out Umar Nurmagomedov in the second round.

The 'Kung Fu Kid' teased a couple of punishing punches towards the Russian in the first round but had to focus more on his grappling skillset against his opponent.

After failing to take Yadong down twice in the second round, Nurmagomedov was not afraid to go toe-to-toe with the underdog, but it would eventually lead to his downfall.

The 28-year-old faked a jab before perfectly timing a devastating right uppercut, which knocked down the number three contender before three follow-up shots finished the job.

The SPD Bank Oriental Sports Center erupted following the knockout as the Chinese mixed martial artist made a statement.

During his post-fight interview, Yadong demanded a title shot next after an incredible KO victory. The win followed his second-round submission victory in his previous fight, with Yadong now hoping to face the winner of the rematch between Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 333.

The co-main event did not receive the same home crowd reaction as the main event due to Denise Gomes' impressive first-round knockout triumph in enemy territory against Yan Xiaonan.

Heading into the fight, the Brazilian was ranked 10 places below her opponent at number 14 in the 115-pound division, meaning a victory would be a huge boost for the 26-year-old's career.

Towards the end of round one, Gomes viciously caught Xiaonan with a brutal elbow and landed two follow-up punches as the number four contender went down to the ground, giving Herb Dean no choice but to stop the fight.

'Dee' extends her winning streak to five and may now be just one victory away from a title shot.

After picking up his first UFC win in Macau, Kai Asakura collected his second successive knockout victory at UFC Shanghai after stopping Aoriqileng in the second round.

The Japanese fighter began his impressive finish with a wild head kick before a barrage of punches to the head and knees to the body ended the show.

The former Rizin FF Champion has bounced back from his first two UFC bouts, which both ended in submission losses.

The 32-year-old is on the hunt to return to the flyweight rankings and continue delivering incredible finishes in the organisation.

Sumudaerji won the rematch against Alex Perez by unanimous decision after their first bout ended in a no contest at UFC Macau.

It was an impressive debut for Liu Ce, who put the light heavyweight division on notice with a first-round knockout win over Levi Rodrigues Jr.

Bilal Hasan remained undefeated and excelled on his UFC debut with a second-round knockout against Nilson Rojas.

Andre Lima returned to the win column and earned a third-round guillotine choke victory over Namsrai Batbayar.

Back-to-back first-round submission wins were secured by Rei Tsuruya as he made Kevin Borjas tap out with a rear-naked choke.

Sean Woodson edged a split decision win in a close contest with Jack Jenkins.

Francesco Nuzzi stepped up from Cage Warriors to the UFC and grabbed his first win in the organisation, defeating Xiao Long by TKO in just one minute of the first round.

Another UFC debutant prevailed as Hector Santiago stopped Lawrence Lui in the second round by knockout.

Julia Polastri returned to the win column in spectacular fashion after producing a jaw-dropping head kick which knocked out Xiong Jingnan in the first round.

Cameron Nelson picked up his first UFC win, going the distance with Ding Meng to triumph by unanimous decision.