)
Song Yadong sees Umar Nurmagomedov as his direct path to a UFC title shot.
Song is set to face former title contender Nurmagomedov in the main event of UFC Fight Night 286 this Saturday. The event will take place at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center in China. Yadong has been close to contender status before, but recent losses to current champion Petr Yan and former champion Sean O'Malley have pushed him back in the rankings.
“Everyone knows Umar is the best fighter. If I beat him, the UFC will definitely give me a title shot. I believe in myself that I can win this fight.”
In preparation for Nurmagomedov, Song sought assistance in Georgia to refine his wrestling.
“Now is the perfect time for me to face Nurmagomedov,” Song stated. “I feel like I’ve fought many good fighters and gained more experience. So, for this fight, I’m super prepared. I had a great training camp. I started it at Team Alpha Male, and before that, I went to Georgia for almost two weeks to train wrestling.”
“In Georgia, I trained with all the big champions, world champions – defense, offense, some tricks I had never seen before, so it was a good experience. I learned a lot, but my main camp started at Team Alpha Male, where my coach Urijah (Faber) taught me some grappling techniques on how to fight against Umar. This time, I am very confident.”
&format=webp)
&format=webp)
&format=webp)
&format=webp)
,fit(112:112)&format=webp)
&format=webp)