Chinese fighters were 2-5 on the night when Song Yadong was making his walk to the octagon on Saturday. But those losses didn’t sting the Chinese crowd for too long after the ‘Kung Fu Kid’ put the six-to-one betting favourite Umar Nurmagomedov to sleep in round two. Add to that Denise Gomes, Kai Asakura, Liu Ce, Bilal Hasan and Julia Polastri’s highlight reel knockouts and UFC Shanghai was a great way to close out the UFC’s summer schedule. With UFC Shanghai now in the books, let’s look at what’s next for Song Yadong and the winners.
Song Yadong
In a year full of upsets, Song Yadong’s second-round KO of Umar Nurmagomedov will make the shortlist for ‘Upset of the Year’. After falling short to Sean O’Malley in January, Song has now managed to not only bounce back, but to put a stamp on his 2026. His fate now rests in the hands of Merab Dvalishvili this October. If Merab wins, then I think Song will get the next shot since there would be no appetite for Merab/O’Malley 3. If Petr Yan defends his belt, then the O’Malley rematch is a no-brainer. If we give the champion the benefit of the doubt, then Song will have to face Mario Bautista in a number one contender bout.
Song’s next fight: Mario Bautista
Denise Gomes
The strawweight has been in bad need of fresh names to rise and Denise Gomes has now added her name to the Fatima Klines and Alexia Thainaras of the world. Yan Xiaonan may be 37 years of age coming off a 16-month layoff, but she was still a top5 strawweight and former title challenger. Gomes didn’t just beat her, she clobbered her inside a round. This win was more impressive than Kline’s over Ricci or Thainara’s over Lemos. I get the sense that Tatiana Suarez may get the next shot at the title, so I say make Gomes vs Thainara in the meantime.
Gomes’ next fight: Alexia Thainara
Kai Asakura
The flyweight experiment may have failed for Kai Asakura, but the Japanese fighter looks a whole lot more promising at bantamweight. After earning back-to-back KOs at 135 pounds, Asakura called for a shot at a ranked opponent, and I wouldn’t be opposed to it. With everyone ranked 8th to 13th already booked, I say give Asakura a big jump and book him with Aiemann Zahabi in Canada this fall.
Asakura’s next fight: Aiemann Zahabi
Sumudaerji
After the No Contest in last May, the book on the Alex Perez-Sumudaerji rivalry is now closed, with the ‘Tibetan Eagle’ emerging victorious. Sandwiched in between a slew of impressive finishes, this fight won’t be remembered as the high point of the card, but it was carrying real stakes at flyweight nonetheless. After falling out of the rankings a couple years ago, Sumudaerji has now fought his way back inside the top15. A fight with Amir Albazi would make a lot of sense for both fighters.
Sumudaerji’s next fight: Amir Albazi
Liu Ce
It was a successful debut for Liu Ce as he not only scored the second-round KO of Levi Rodrigues Jr., but also earned ‘Fight of the Night’ honours. From Muhammad Saidov, Lucas Fernando and even Reinier de Ridder making the move up last week, to a former K1 kickboxer in Liu Ce the light-heavyweight division, which is in need of any exciting additions, has been adding some intriguing pieces lately. Let’s test Liu’s MMA striking against another former kickboxer in Dustin Jacoby.
Liu’s next fight: Dustin Jacoby
Bilal Hasan
From earning a sub-one minute KO on the Contender Series earlier this month to the Michael Jackson walkout, 25-year-old Bilal Hasan looks like a future star. Knowing Hasan has not gone to the scorecards since his MMA debut, I say the best move for the UFC is to keep him active against a consistent level of opposition. Give him as many reps in the octagon as possible to build his highlight reel and make him a known commodity to the casual fans. A veteran like Kevin Borjas is good enough to test Hasan, while being beatable enough that Hasan would be favoured. He’s exactly the kind of fighter the ‘IndoNinja’ should be facing.
Hasan’s next fight: Kevin Borjas
