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UFC fans blast Daniel Cormier for saying Usman Nurmagomedov deserves grace amid UFC Shanghai post-fight run-in

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UFC fans blast Daniel Cormier for saying Usman Nurmagomedov deserves grace amid UFC Shanghai post-fight run-in

Daniel Cormier has come under scrutiny for his take on Usman Nurmagomedov's post-fight actions right after the UFC Shanghai main event.

Nurmagomedov cornered his brother Umar for a pivotal bantamweight battle against Song Yadong this past Saturday. Umar was a heavy betting favorite going into the bout, but he suffered his first knockout loss in the second round. In a matter of seconds, Nurmagomedov rushed the Octagon and Yadong nearly ran into him during his post-fight celebration.

Some have even debated whether Nurmagomedov considered throwing an elbow at Yadong, or if he was simply looking behind him when Yadong ran towards his direction during the celebration. In a video uploaded on his YouTube channel, Cormier not only denied that Nurmagomedov tried to get a cheap shot on Yadong, but he also shared his belief that the PFL lightweight titleholder should be given leniency (via MMAFighting).

“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 way.â€

Cormier's comments have irked some within the MMA community. X user @pawellwitt took issue with the UFC Hall of Famer siding with Nurmagomedov due to his friendship with the camp.

“He almost attacked him and Song wasn't running towards Usman but around the cage celebrating: They took his moment away and Usman should never be in the cage that quick in the first place. DC is obviously biased.â€

Ben Davis doesn't think Cormier's comments were well thought out.

“DC with another bad take,†Davis wrote.

Another X user, @karimdepresso, felt Nurmagomedov stole some shine away from Yadong during a moment where he should've stood outside the Octagon.

“Nah this ain't it. Even Khabib was tryna hold him back as it wasn't the time to get in like that. Lowkey ruined Song's moment.â€

Nurmagomedov's post-fight controversy comes during a crucial time in his pro MMA career. He is currently the biggest free agent in the sport having fulfilled his PFL contract after successfully defending the promotion's lightweight title against Archie Colgan at the end of July. Many feel Nurmagomedov could be making the jump imminently, but time will tell if that will be the case.

Do you agree with the criticism Daniel Cormier is facing for his comments on Usman Nurmagomedov's UFC Shanghai controversy? Join in on the conversation in the comments below.

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


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MMA

Umar Nurmagomedov vows to learn from 'mistakes' amid stunning KO loss to Song Yadong at UFC Shanghai

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Umar Nurmagomedov vows to learn from 'mistakes' amid stunning KO loss to Song Yadong at UFC Shanghai

Umar Nurmagomedov has spoken out after suffering the first knockout loss of his pro MMA career this past Saturday.

Nurmagomedov went one-on-one with Song Yadong inside SPD Bank Oriental Sports Center in the main event of UFC Shanghai. Nurmagomedov had some success controlling Yadong initially, but the “The Kung Fu Kid†eventually broke free and delivered a right hand before the second stanza.

Disaster struck for Nurmagomedov in the second round, as he was dropped by a punch when shooting in for a takedown. Yadong finished the fight with some follow-up punches, and Nurmagomedov was out cold for the first time.

Nurmagomedov delivered an update on his Instagram page, and he's ready to embrace the comeback journey.

“I'm doing fine. Alhamdulillah,†Nurmagomedov wrote. “A huge thank you to everyone who writes. I'll work on my mistakes. And I'll be back.â€

It's the second setback of Nurmagomedov's career. He had an unbeaten record of 18-0 prior to falling short in his bid for UFC bantamweight gold against Merab Dvalishvili in early 2025. Nurmagomedov rebounded with wins over Mario Bautista and former UFC flyweight titleholder Deiveson Figueiredo. The upset loss to Yadong will force Nurmagomedov to slide down the Meta UFC rankings panel, which is crucial given that he was the No. 2-ranked bantamweight prior to Saturday's defeat.

Yadong earned his second straight “Performance of the Night†bonus thanks to his efforts against Nurmagomedov, and he has reestablished himself as a top contender. Yadong is calling for a title shot, as he still believes he should've had his hand raised over Sean O'Malley in their UFC 324 clash back in January. For now, Yadong will get to enjoy his imminent return to the top five at 135 pounds.

Do you think Umar Nurmagomedov's UFC title aspirations have been dashed, or is there still time? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


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Usman Nurmagomedov releases statement responding to post-fight collision with Song Yadong

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Usman Nurmagomedov releases statement responding to post-fight collision with Song Yadong

Usman Nurmagomedov is never going to apologize for caring about his brother's well-being, but that doesn't mean he was trying to attack his opponent at UFC Shanghai.

Song Yadong scored the biggest win of his career on Saturday when he blasted Umar Nurmagomedov with a perfectly timed uppercut that sent the Russian crashing to the canvas to end the fight. Immediately after the fight was stopped, Usman jumped into the cage to check on his brother and Song ended up colliding with him as he ran around the cage to celebrate his victory.

The brief physical altercation led many to speculate that Usman actually tried hitting Song with an elbow strike after running into each other, but the reigning PFL lightweight champion was quick to deny that allegation while addressing the incident on social media.

“People are making such a huge tragedy out of this, they should just calm down,†Nurmagomedov wrote on Instagram (Russian-to-English translation via Red Corner MMA). “There are things far worse. You don't have to think for long, just look at what is happening in the world.

“And regarding the claims that I supposedly wanted to hit his opponent, if I had wanted to, I would have hit him.â€

For his part, Song never broke stride during his celebration and he eventually went over to Nurmagomedov's corner and spoke to his head coach Khabib to pay his respects after the fight.

“You angry, petty, and jealous people,†Nurmagomedov wrote. “Your problem is that you have never had, and never will never have, an understanding of family love. If you don't know what a brother means to his brother, then I'm not the one you should feel sorry for, you should feel sorry for yourselves.â€

It was obviously a tough moment for Usman after watching his brother suffer such a brutal knockout loss — only the second defeat of his career —but Umar eventually got back to his feet and released a statement of his own saying he was doing fine after the main event ended.

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

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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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