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Josh Ball

Fresh from his stand-out win at UFC Fight Night Macau, China star Song Yadong has been handed the headline spot for the promotion’s return to Shanghai next month.
Song will battle former title challenger Umar Nurmagomedov at the Pudong Development Bank Shanghai Oriental Sports Centre on August 29, looking for another signature victory to boost his own hopes of a shot at the division crown.
Nurmagomedov (20-1), from Russia, was originally scheduled to fight David Martinez in Abu Dhabi on July 25, but will now take on the Chinese 28-year-old (23-9-1) in a co-main event.
Yan Xiaonan, China’s first female UFC athlete and a former strawweight title challenger, takes on surging No 13-ranked Denise Gomes in another.
Before his stunning submission of Deiveson Figueiredo at the Galaxy Arena in May, Song told the South China Morning Post that if he just kept winning, then “one or two fights and I’ll get a title shot”.












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But Nurmagomedov has title ambitions of his own and is riding a two-fight win streak, and the Russian, who boasts seven submission victories and five first-round finishes, could well view this as a must-win if he is to get another crack at the belt.
Song will make his sixth appearance at a main event, and having not fought in front of his home fans for eight years before taking to the ring in Macau, he now gets a second chance in the space of three months.
A definitive victory should put him right where he wants to be, again showing “all the fans I’m still a contender in my division”.

Yan (19-5), meanwhile, has been a fixture in the women’s strawweight top five since 2024, but the Liaoning native will be fighting for the first time on home soil since 2018.
Gomes (12-3) is facing the biggest fight of her career having raced into the top 15 with consecutive wins over Tecia Pennington, Elise Reed, Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Eduarda Moura.
Next month’s two-day event will start with the Road To UFC Season 5 semi-finals, with the remaining 16 of the region’s top MMA prospects battling to advance to the finals for the opportunity to earn a multi-fight contract with UFC.


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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)

China's Song Yadong beat Deiveson Figueiredo of Brazil in a bantamweight fight at UFC Fight Night Macau in May. Photo: Zuffa LLC

Yan Xiaonan (left) will be fighting for the first time in China since 2018. Photo: UFC

Volleyball Nations League Hong Kong: China’s women team keen to test themselves at home

Volleyball players (from left) Elise Van Sas of Belgium; Canada’s Emily Maglio; China’s Gong Xiangyu; Dominican Republic’s Brayelin Martinez; Italy’s Anna Danesi and Ukraine’s Svitlana Dorsman. Photo: Elson Li

China head coach Zhao Yong said his players needed to “accumulate experience”. Photo: Elson Li

Zhao Yong giving instructions in the match against Czech Republic in the Nanjing leg last month. Photo: Xinhua

Hong Kong fencers looking forward to competing on home soil as World Championships loom

Hong Kong's foilists (from left) Cheung Ka-long, Leung Chin-yu, Harris Ho and Ryan Choi. Photo: Elson Li

Hong Kong’s fencing team for the World Championships at AsiaWorld-Expo later this month. Photo: Elson Li

Hong Kong epee team members (from left) Wu Haidi, Chu Ka-mong, Kaylin Hsieh and Chan Wai-ling. Photo: Elson Li

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China

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Song will take on former title challenger Umar Nurmagomedov of Russia next month, while Yan faces Brazilian Denise Gomes


Song will take on former title challenger Umar Nurmagomedov of Russia next month, while Yan faces Brazilian Denise Gomes.


Khabib Nurmagomedov

Chinese MMA stars Song Yadong, Yan Xiaonan to take top billing at UFC Fight Night Shanghai

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Song will take on former title challenger Umar Nurmagomedov of Russia next month, while Yan faces Brazilian Denise Gomes

Song will take on former title challenger Umar Nurmagomedov of Russia next month, while Yan faces Brazilian Denise Gomes