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Daniel Cormier defends Usman Nurmagomedov after altercation at UFC Shanghai: ‘He did not attack Song Yadong’

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3 weeks ago

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Daniel Cormier defends Usman Nurmagomedov after altercation at UFC Shanghai: ‘He did not attack Song Yadong’

Emotions were running high after Song Yadong scored a stunning knockout over Umar Nurmagomedov in the UFC Shanghai main event on Saturday. With Nurmagomedov still laid out unconscious from the uppercut that ended his night, Song was understandably elated as he ran around the cage in celebration but that also brought him in direct contact with Nurmagomedov's team including his brother Usman Nurmagomedov.

“Usman Nurmagomedov jumped into the octagon after the fight, Khabib [Nurmagomedov] tried to stop him,†Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “Song Yadong is running in the direction of Usman. Usman reacts, like he reaches to stop him like they were going to make contact together.

“He did not elbow him. Let's stop making conspiracy theories out there, people. He did not elbow him. He did not attack Song Yadong.â€

For his part, Song never broke stride and continued his celebration and he eventually approached Khabib and the rest of the team to show his respect after the fight.

While Cormier is adamant Usman didn't purposefully attempt to attack anybody, he understands in the heat of the moment why the reigning PFL lightweight champion was desperately trying to get his brother after watching him get knocked out.

“What he did was try to get to his brother,†Cormier said. “That in itself is not allowed. We are not allowed to do that. But if there's anyone that you care about immensely and you want to rush to their side in that moment, it is your brother. Blood brother. Not a brother as in a friend that you love, not a cousin, not a relative. This is his actual brother.

“So he jumps into the octagon, which is not allowed but if there's any time that someone will deal on emotion, you would think that it was this.â€

That said, Cormier knows whether he ran into Song or not, Usman has to take responsibility for his actions because he shouldn't have been in the octagon in the first place.

“The reason they won't let people jump [into the octagon] is because of the things that happened with Khabib and Conor [McGregor] and all those other things,†Cormier said. “They cannot control whenever the situation gets chaotic.

“That's why Usman cannot do that. But I am more inclined to get him a bit of grace because you watch your brother get starched in that wayâ€

The incident didn't escalate and nothing else happened before doctors were able to get in the cage to check on Umar following his knockout loss. UFC officials haven't made any statement on the incident but it appears cooler heads prevailed all the way around after the brief run-in between Usman and Song in the cage.

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MMA

UFC 331: Van vs. Pantoja 2, Tsarukyan vs. Ruffy live stream watch party

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11 hours ago

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September 19, 2026

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UFC 331: Van vs. Pantoja 2, Tsarukyan vs. Ruffy live stream watch party

MMA Fighting has a live stream watch party for Saturday's UFC 331 event at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. In the main event, Joshua Van defends his flyweight title in a rematch against the man he won the championship from, Alexandre Pantoja in a heated rematch.

Join MMA Fighting's Mike Heck and Jed Meshew as they watch the main card and more for the promotion's upcoming numbered event in the City of Angels.

In the co-main event, top lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan faces knockout artist Mauricio Ruffy in a high-stakes, five-round contest.

Additionally, former Bellator champion Patricio Pitbull takes on Doo Ho Choi in the featherweight featured contest, while Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson battles Sean Sharaf in a heavyweight bout.

The UFC 331 main card opens with a light heavyweight tilt between Alonzo Menifield and Iwo Baraniewski.

Watch MMA Fighting's UFC 330 live stream Watch Party beginning at 8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT with the featured preliminary fight between Marlon Vera and Charles Jourdain.

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MMA

Anything but Fighting: Edmen Shahbazyan answers random questions

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11 hours ago

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September 19, 2026

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Anything but Fighting: Edmen Shahbazyan answers random questions

LOS ANGELES — UFC middleweight contender Edmen Shahbazyan joins MMA Fighting's Jose Youngs on #AnythingButFighting to talk about his favorite movies, music, foods, concerts, and more.

Shahbazyan (16-6) is looking to get back into the win column against Brunno Ferreira on the preliminary card of UFC 331. “The Golden Boy†previously dropped a unanimous decision win to Brendan Allen, snapping his three-fight win streak in the process. To date, Shahbazyan holds notable wins over Andre Petroski, André Muniz, Jack Hermansson, Brad Tavares, and Jack Marshman.

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MMA

Dana White says Ciryl Gane won’t be promoted to undisputed champion: ‘He’s still got to fight’

Published

12 hours ago

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September 19, 2026

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Dana White says Ciryl Gane won’t be promoted to undisputed champion: ‘He’s still got to fight’

Ciryl Gane is NOT the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion.

On Monday, Tom Aspinall vacated his UFC heavyweight title after reinjuring his eyes in training, forcing him out of action indefinitely. As such, many expected that interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane — the man who caused Aspinall's original eye injuries when he poked him during their heavyweight title fight at UFC 321 — would be elevated to undisputed champion and then defend his belt; but not so fast.

“Does it make him the undisputed champion?†White asked when questioned about Gane. “No. He's still got to fight.â€

White added that he expects Gane's next fight, the bout for the title of undisputed champion, will be announced “very soon.â€

Ostensibly, Aspinall could face the winner of whatever that potential bout is, should he be ready to return to action by then. But White has no timeline on when that might be.

“I don't [know],†White said when asked how long Aspinall's will be out for. “Obviously, whenever he feels healthy again, whenever his eyes are healed, then we're ready for him.â€

Gane won the interim heavyweight title with a TKO win over Alex Pereira at UFC White House this summer. It was expected that Gane and Aspinall would unify their titles in a rematch this year, before Aspinall's setback ended those plans.

As for the rest of the heavyweight division, Aspinall's latest update seems to have left the UFC scrambling, with White not having a clear path forward, but saying the UFC will figure it out.

“We'll see how this whole thing plays out with Aspinall,†White said. “Ciryl will fight, and we'll see who becomes the champion. This isn't like this is the first time this has ever happened, and it's happening right now with Valentina Shevchenko, too. This is nothing new. This happens sometimes, and it's unfortunate. Not the best outcome, but it is what it is.â€

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