UFC Fight Night returns on Saturday with an early morning card emanating from Shanghai. Song Yadong is an important headliner, particularly with the bantamweight title at stake two months later. Nurmagomedov (20-1) is seething in the lead-up to UFC Fight Night.
His issues are not with Yadong, but with the man challenging for the bantamweight championship at UFC 333. Nurmagomedov wants another crack at Merab Dvalishvili, the only person to beat him. His issues stem less from the loss and more from a physical altercation between Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov's friend, Ahmed Gadzhimagomedov, in Georgia.
It's now personal, and that means Yadong has the misfortune of getting in the way. e -- every UFC numbered event and UFC Fight Night is included with your subscription! Plans start as low as $8.99/month or $89.99/year! "I will fight with Merab," Nurmagomedov told MMA Junkie.
"Whether he wins or loses [to Petr Yan]. Now it's personal not just for me. It's personal for all of Dagestan." Yadong (23-9, 1 NC) has a newfound connection to Dvalishvili's birth country.
Yadong, who primarily trains with UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber's Team Alpha Male, cross-trained in Georgia ahead of Saturday's homecoming. "In Georgia, I trained with like all the big champs, world champs -- defense, offense, some tricks I have never seen, so it's good experience," Song told MMA Junkie. Yadong is the measuring stick for elite bantamweights.
He virtually only loses to former champions and title challengers. It's a commendable reputation, one he's desperate to shed. Beating Nurmagomedov would undoubtedly be his biggest accomplishment.
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