Yadong
Song believes Usman
Nurmagomedov didn't mean to cause trouble by jumping the cage
following his brother Umar
Nurmagomedov's knockout loss.
Song (24-9-1) was a massive underdog against Usman's brother, Umar
(20-2), going into their recent main event clash in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship. However, Song flatlined Umar
with an uppercut in the second round in a huge upset. Usman
immediately jumped inside the Octagon and rushed towards his
unconscious brother, nearly colliding with Song.
The
Professional Fighters League star even appeared to
instinctively load up on an elbow strike as Song ran past him, but
didn't follow through.
Song explains why he believes Usman Nurmagomedov wasn’t trying
to attack him
Song has now come to Usman's defense after the unbeaten Russian
drew criticism online for his post-fight actions at
UFC Shanghai. The Chinese bantamweight notes that an official
rushed towards Usman as soon as he jumped the cage. According to
Song, he then almost collided with Usman, who put his hands up in
defense. The former also fully understands the latter's actions,
considering he'd just witnessed his older brother get knocked
out.
“Watching the slow motion, it looked like he was turning around to
throw an elbow or something, but actually I understand because they
are brothers, you know?†Song said in a recent interview. “The
internet said he wanted to maliciously attack me; he just thought I
was going over to attack him. Because he went over to check on his
brother, and suddenly someone runs over, as you'd definitely react
that way.â€
“The Kung Fu Kid†believes the PFL lightweight champ must have
already been startled by the official running towards him.
“He thought I was going to attack him,†Song added. “Because when
he went to see it, a person suddenly ran over. You can see it in
slow motion; he closed his eyes. And then I ran over there and he
defended it. That's it.â€