Yadong
Song has left no stone unturned in preparation for his upcoming
bout against Umar
Nurmagomedov.

Song claims to be well-equipped to deal with Nurmagomedov's
grappling prowess ahead of their
Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight clash at
UFC Shanghai. The Chinese 135-pounder even worked with Georgian
wrestlers who are familiar with the wrestling system used by
Nurmagomedov's team.

Yadong Song trained with Olympic and world champions ahead of
UFC Shanghai

While Song is a competent grappler, he's well aware of the
challenge Nurmagomedov presents and is confident should the fight
hit the mat.

“Umar is a very tough guy,†Song said in a recent interview. “Even
everybody knows he’s a very good grappler. So, I just prefer to use
striking… But if you want to grapple, let’s grapple. Doesn’t
matter.â€

Song further revealed that he traveled to Georgia before beginning
his latest training camp, where he worked with Olympic and world
champions familiar with the style used by Khabib
Nurmagomedov’s team.

“So, before the camp start, I went to Georgia to train with the
Olympic champs, world champs,†Song added. “They teach me a lot and
they know what Khabib’s team does. So, they teach me some tricks. I
feel super ready for this fight.â€

“With this fight, I will get a title
shot.”

Song Yadong (@SongYaDongLFG)
wants to leave no doubts as to why he should be next in line to
challenge for the belt with a win at
#UFCShanghai

Fight by Fight Preview âž¡ï¸ https://t.co/JeUnGYBzaq pic.twitter.com/kgMuqRjseQ

— UFC News (@UFCNews)
August 25, 2026

Kai
Asakura wants to showcase improvement in his next bout.

The former
Rizin Fighting Federation champ endured a disappointing start
in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship, getting finished in his first
two appearances. He then secured a win after moving up to
bantamweight and is set to meet Qileng Aori
next at
UFC Shanghai.

Kai Asakura targets Qileng Aori knockout after successful move
to bantamweight

Asakura recorded his first win in the UFC against Cameron
Smotherman earlier this year. He claims he's settled in nicely
at bantamweight and vowed to finish Aori when they clash on Aug. 29
to extend his win streak. However, he isn't just looking for a win,
stating that he wants to show off some new moves as well en route
to finding the knockout.

“I will knock him out and I will show a new combination this
Saturday,†Asakura said at UFC Shanghai media day.

The Japanese fighter also revealed that he wants to stay active and
compete again before the end of the year. Additionally, Asakura
expressed interest in fighting in his native Japan, where he
expects strong interest in a UFC event.

“I am stronger than my last fight.”

Entering his second fight of the 2026, Kai Asakura
(@kai_1031_) feels
135 pounds is the perfect division for him and plans to showcase it
once again at
#UFCShanghai

Fight by Fight Preview âž¡ï¸https://t.co/JeUnGYBzaq pic.twitter.com/Tb64MEJCaa

— UFC News (@UFCNews)
August 25, 2026

Jena
Bishop has an
Ultimate Fighting Championship Hall of Famer helping her
prepare for the biggest fight of her career.

The
Professional Fighters League recently shared a photo showing
Bishop training with Ronda
Rousey ahead of the former's rematch with Liz
Carmouche for the inaugural PFL women’s flyweight
championship.

Jena Bishop challenges Liz Carmouche for the inaugural PFL
women's flyweight championship after training with Ronda
Rousey

Bishop will face Carmouche in the main event of
PFL Chicago on Oct. 16 at Wintrust Arena. The bout will crown
the promotion’s first women’s flyweight champion and mark its first
new title since the PFL’s merger with
Most Valuable Promotions.

The clash is a rematch of last year’s PFL women’s flyweight
tournament final. Carmouche stopped Bishop in the third round of
that meeting, but the latter has since rebounded with victories
over Borena
Tsertsvadze and Ariane
Lipski da Silva. Carmouche enters following a submission win
over Viviane
Araujo in June.

Rousey, who became the face of women’s MMA during her UFC run, also
has a history with Carmouche, having defeated her at UFC
157 in 2013, in the first defense of her UFC women’s
bantamweight title and her Octagon debut.