Song Yadong was just seconds removed from picking up the biggest win of his career after he knocked out Umar Nurmagomedov in the UFC Shanghai main event, and he decided to run around the octagon in celebration. But he ended up in a direct collision with Umar's brother Usman Nurmagomedov, and for a brief second, it appeared that the PFL lightweight champion may have actually taken a swing at Song as he circled the cage.
MMA
Matt Brown backs Usman Nurmagomedov after altercation with Song Yadong: ‘It’s an absolutely intense, crazy situation’
Published
3 weeks agoon
For his part, Song didn't blink during the brief altercation and Usman later released a statement denying that he tried to hit his brother's opponent. In that moment, Usman was just trying to get to his brother to make sure he was OK after the vicious finish.
Retired UFC welterweight Matt Brown, who now owns his own gym and regularly serves as a corner man to his fighters competing in the octagon, chalks the whole incident up as much ado about nothing.
“It's one of those situations where the news is a little slow this week, and I wish I could get a good headline clip out of this but realistically I think it was a nothing burger,†Brown said on the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer. “I think it will be forgotten. I don't think Usman meant anything by it. Like he said, like [Daniel] Cormier said, he didn't hit him — if he wanted to hit him, he would have hit him.
“His brother just got knocked out. The emotions that you go through, even if it's not your brother, just as a cornerman, you care about your guy and you're running in there and you're trying to help him out and support as best you can and make sure he's OK. A lot of crazy shit is happening.â€
Brown knows from his own personal experience how emotional that experience can be, especially for the coaches and corner men stuck watching from the outside looking in.
He just recently went through something similar when one of his fighters made his UFC debut, and the fight ended with a brutal knockout.
“The fact is it's an absolutely intense, crazy situation,†Brown said. “I dealt with it for the first time the last time I cornered a guy in the UFC. My fighter Josiah Harrell and he got knocked out and they yelled at me to go help him out, because he couldn't tell who was who and what was what. It's a f*cking intense situation.
“It's the first time I ever ran inside the cage when I had a fighter knocked out. I can tell you, what's going through your head, you're living off instinct. There's really not a lot of thought. You only care about one single thing.â€
As much as that moment made it appear that Usman Nurmagomedov was potentially taking a swing at Song Yadong, Brown is confident the only thing Usman was thinking about was his brother.
“This isn't tennis or basketball or something,†Brown said. “You're getting knocked out, there's blood, there's permanent damage that can happen. You're getting injured. It's very intense. The emotions are way different.
“Cornering is tough because you can't control anything. It's really tough. All you can do is hope for the best and yell out the best advice you can give. It's up to them. It makes a tough situation. I don't think [Usman] tried to hit him, obviously he didn't hit him. His mind was 1000 percent focused on his brother and that's that.â€
If Brown had any advice for Usman Nurmagomedov moving forward, it's the reality that maybe he shouldn't corner his brother again due to the extreme emotional turmoil that comes along with that particular pairing.
But whether it's blood relation or not, Brown knows the entire Nurmagomedov team is like family so it's almost impossible to avoid those situations. It really just comes down to handling the emotions in those moments and not allowing something bad to happen like what nearly unfolded on Saturday at UFC Shanghai.
“This is the exact reason why I don't think it's the best to have someone close to you in the corner,†Brown said. “You just don't know what's going to happen. It doesn't matter how much you were supposed to win. It doesn't matter how much better you are then [the opponent]. This is MMA. Insane shit happens all the time.â€
Listen to new episodes of The Fighter vs. The Writer every Tuesday with audio only versions of the podcast available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and iHeartRadio
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MMA
Video: All 7 UFC 331 finishes from a wild night in Los Angeles
Published
6 hours agoon
September 21, 2026
MMA
UFC 334 odds: Ciryl Gane, Kayla Harrison favored in title fights
Published
7 hours agoon
September 21, 2026
334's lineup has been revealed, as have the opening odds.
In the main event, Ciryl Gane
is set to defend the
Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight title against
Josh
Hokit on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The
card is co-headlined by a bantamweight title fight between Kayla
Harrison and Amanda
Nunes.
BetOnline has released its current odds for
both championship bouts, with Gane favored over Hokit and Harrison
favored over Nunes.
UFC 334 betting lines move for Gane-Hokit and
Harrison-Nunes
Gane opened at -150 and is now at -235. The Frenchman is favored to
beat the undefeated Hokit, who is currently listed at +195. Both
fighters secured finishes at
UFC Freedom 250 in their last outings. Gane was promoted to
undisputed champ after Tom
Aspinall vacated the belt.
The Harrison-Nunes line was originally released in November 2025
after they were announced for
UFC 324, with Harrison opening at -155 and Nunes at +135. The
fight fell through after Harrison sustained a neck injury and
they're finally set to collide in November.
The current women's 135-pound champ is now at -210, while the Hall
of Famer has dropped to +175.
MMA
Dana White dismisses Ilia Topuria's glove cheating claims against Justin Gaethje
Published
9 hours agoon
September 21, 2026
iliatopuria on InstagramUFC boss Dana White has become the latest person to dismiss Ilia Topuria's claims that Justin Gaethje cheated at UFC Freedom 250.
As of late, Ilia Topuria has had a few things to say about Justin Gaethje and their fight at UFC Freedom 250, which ended with Ilia having to quit on the stool due to the damage being inflicted on him by Gaethje.
RELATED: UFC White House official shoots down Ilia Topuria's cheating allegations
Ilia Topuria is a proud man, but after suggesting that there was something off about Gaethje's gloves, there has been uproar in the mixed martial arts community from those suggesting that he is making excuses. He's still one of the biggest stars in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, but the ‘aura' that he once had isn't quite at the same level these days following the defeat.
In his UFC 331 post-fight press conference appearance, Dana White had the following to say about Ilia Topuria's remarks.
Dana White on Ilia Topuria's Gaethje glove claim
“So the head of the Athletic Commission here in California is looked at as probably the best in the world, and he was there, and inspectors were watching (Gaethje) get his hands wrapped and put his gloves on, all that s—, nothing happened with Gaethje's gloves,†White commented.
Quotes via Bloody Elbow
Regardless of what you think on this subject, it certainly feels like there's a revival of the Gaethje/Topuria rivalry here. Whether or not that leads the UFC down the path of booking the rematch remains to be seen, but that feels like what Ilia is trying to get done by making comments like this. From a publicity standpoint, he is definitely generating some attention.
Do you want to see a rematch between Gaethje and Topuria? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, BJPENN Nation!
This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM
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