Much would depend on the outcome of the upcoming Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili 3, a title fight booked for later this year. But Song and Nurmagomedov were potentially just one fight away from their own shot at gold (in the case of Umar, a second title shot).

Nurmagomedov found himself in trouble early when shooting in on a takedown only to be caught in a guillotine, but Song simply couldn’t hang onto it. That gave Umar plenty of time, just over half a round, to work, as he settled in while in half guard. Song was nowhere near the fence and simply had no space to scramble out. He would eventually get back up, maybe with a bit of a confidence boost.

Round two saw Song stuff a takedown inside the opening minute, another small mental victory. Nurmagomedov did connect with a punch, but Song smiled and ate it. The pair appeared to clash heads, accidentally, but fought through it. Then came the stunning finish: with Song bloodied presumably off that head clash, he threw an uppercut that had Nurmagomedov hurt after it clipped Umar along the ear. Nurmagomedov went down, and Song added three more punches as the ref charged in to call things off!

A massive, stunning, shocking result. Had Song Yadong stolen a decision against Nurmagoemdov, whose only loss had been on the scorecards against Merab Dvaslishvili, fans would have taken notice. Stopping Nurmagomedov gives the win that much more weight, giving Song a highlight reel moment and a victory that will be talked about for some time.

Official Result: Song Yadong def. Umar Nurmagomedov by knockout (punches), Round 2, 1:48

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About two minutes into the opening frame, things opened up, with Gomes unleashing a volley of punches that forced Yan to retreat. A right hand kicked things off, tagging Yan on the side of the jaw before Gomes swarmed in. The Chinese fighter would recover, however, with the pair continuing to trade, the fight playing out on the feet with Yan mixing in kicks both low and to the body.

While Yan survived the early onslaught by Denise Gomes, the Brazilian would finish the job just a little bit later in the opening round. Gomes would step in and land a nasty elbow over the top, dropping Yan Xiaonan to her knees. That was followed by left and right hands, both punches connecting right on the button. Yan was out, and Gomes had a very impressive victory in the UFC Shanghai co-main event.

Ranked #9 (META)/#14 (Media) in the UFC’s official rankings, Gomes will be climbing at least a couple of spots this week. Having knocked off a former title challenger, she suggested she’s ready for whoever comes next as she works her way towards title contention.

Official Result: Denise Gomes def. Yan Xiaonan by TKO (elbow and punches), Round 1, 4:49

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Asakura had come up short in an immediate title shot at flyweight, then lost again against Tim Elliott before moving back to 135lbs to snag his first win. The Japanese star was in enemy territory against Mongolian Aoriqileng, who entered off a loss against Cody Haddon.

Both fighters started cautiously in the opening round, feeling each other out and gauging distance through the first minute. Asakura pressed forward, landing a good hook to the body and a left hand upstairs. Aoriqileng returned to the center of the cage and ate a low leg kick. The round was momentarily stopped due to an accidental eye poke by Asakura,  with Aoriqileng landing a few leg kicks of his own when action returned. Near the end of the round Asakura pressed the fight to the fence, initiating the the clinch and jumping out to an early lead.

To start the second Asakura landed a massive head kick that dropped Aoriqileng, pouncing on his opponent Asakura landed devastating ground and pound to win the fight by KO/TKO. A beautiful sequence by Asakura who looks much more natural at this weight class through two fights.

In his post fight interview, Asakura stated he was very happy with his performance and his striking is the best, in his next fight he would like a big opponent. This was Asakura’s 18th finish in his career.

Official Result: Kai Asakura def. Aoriqileng by TKO (head kick and punches), Round 2, 0:34

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The fight was an immediate rematch of their May encounter, which had ended prematurely when Perez was left unable to continue due to a low blow.

Perez was the more mobile fighter early, light on his feet and dancing in-and-out while Sumudaerji was relatively stationary in comparison. After some feeling out and back-and-forth, Perez drove into a takedown in the back half of the round, getting his opponent seated along the fence. Sumudaerji hit the body as Perez locked up his legs, the pair in a bit of an awkward position in close along the fence.

After closing out the round in that spot, Perez opened with a quick attack and a wild kick early in round two. 90 seconds in, he’d land another takedown, putting Sumudaerji in a similar position to what he’d been in at the end of round one. The Chinese fighter was quick to escape this time, only to be taken down again moments later. This time, Perez had space to work, doing so from inside Sumudaerji’s guard. Perez would finish the round on top, with Sumudaerji trying to land strikes off his back.

Between rounds, Perez’s corner suggested that Sumudaerji was tiring; either way, the fight was either tied, or Perez might have managed to secure both rounds. A minute into the third, Perez secured a body lock, looking to land a throw only for Sumudaerji to fend off the attempt. Perez still had control of him, however, and they battled for positional control along the fence before the Chinese fighter freed himself, three minutes still on the clock.

Another Perez takedown attempt followed as he shot in on a double leg, switched to the single, but struggled to finish. Sumudaerji defended with the whizzer and dropped a few elbows for good measure. Yet when they went down it was Sumudaerji in control, leading to a scramble as Perez extracted himself from a dicey situation. One minute left, and the flyweight pair faced off again before Perez went in on another takedown. Defended, and Sumudaerji fired a wild kick that missed by a country mile to close out the fight.

All three judges would score the fight for Sumudaerji in the end, with his offense in the third, not to mention his takedown defense in that final round, making all the difference.

Official Result: Sumudaerji def. Alex Perez by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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Despite his minimal experience as a pro, however, Ce was still getting main card billing, against Brazil’s Rodrigues, who had dropped his own promotional debut last time out.

Ce held center early, with both men bouncing on their feet. Ce fired a crisp, clean calf kick, with the pair later engaging in a blisteringly fast exchange. Lots of speed on display from the two big men, and plenty of power as well. Ce went to the body with a kick, while Rodrigues fired back with his hands. Both men were swinging wild and forcing the other to retreat in a back-and-forth opening 90 seconds.

Rodrigues would catch a kick after that, pushing Ce to the fence and looking for a takedown about two minutes in. Ce’s takedown defense appeared solid, as he fought off the initial attempt. Ce reversed, and there was another ferocious exchange as they came off the cage. Moments later, Ce dropped Rodrigues, and while the Brazilian got back up, he looked unsteady on his feet. Moments later, Ce tagged him again, before hemming him in against the fence and unloading with punches and knees in the clinch! Rodrigues covered up, and somehow, miraculously, survived. They moved to the other side of the cage, Ce unloading another offensive volley, before connecting clean with a right hand that left Levi Rodrigues Jr. face down on the mat. Welcome to the UFC Liu Ce!

Official Result: Liu Ce def. Levi Rodrigues Jr by knockout (punch), Round 1, 4:26

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The flyweight fight kicked off Saturday’s main card, and found Hasan fighting just over two weeks on from winning his UFC contract on DWCS. He was joining heavyweight Anthony Wint, who also earned a contract on the Contender Series earlier this year and had debuted on 11 days notice.

Hasan opened the fight by employing kicks, while Rojas let his hands go. It was Hasan doing more damage, mixing up those kicks, hitting the body, showing impressive speed and putting Rojas on his heels. A body shot in particular had Rojas hurt, but he fought through it, regrouped and marched forward. Two minutes in, however, and Rojas was taken down, forced to fight off his back and scramble desperately while Hasan looked to avoid an upkick. Rojas gave up his back, with Hasan getting a hook in, but Nilson would eventually free himself.

That led to some further fast, furious exchanges on the feet prior to the end of the frame.

Round two saw Bilal Hasan put the fight away. A fully extended straight right to the jaw caught Rojas leaning in, and he crashed  to the floor, head bouncing off the canvas. As clean a knockout as you could ask for, with the ref diving in as the one and only follow-up punch was delivered.

Hasan, a former CFFC champ, performed a little dance in celebration after that fact, having arrived in the UFC in style.

Official Result: Bilal Hasan def. Nilson Rojas by knockout (punch), Round 2, 2:28

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Woodson was looking to bounce back from a loss against Dan Ige that had snapped an impressive seven-fight unbeaten streak that saw him post a 6-0-1 record, while Jenkins had posted a 4-2 record inside the octagon and was coming off a victory over Ramon Taveras.

Andre Lima, as well as both Xiong Jingnan and Julia Polastri, all missed weight for their respective fights at UFC Shanghai, though both preliminary card bouts moved forward.

The Fight Night event at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center was headlined by bantamweights Umar Nurmagomedov and Song Yadong, looking to get back in the mix as part as the title picture at 135lbs was concerned.

The UFC Shanghai preliminary card gets underway at 3AM ET, 12PM PT. Results can be found below.

UFC Shanghai Preliminary Card Results

Flyweight: André Lima def. Namsrai Batbayar by submission (guillotine choke), Round 3, 3:03
Flyweight: Rei Tsuruya def. Kevin Borjas by submission (Rear-Naked Choke), Round 1, 4:14
Featherweight: Sean Woodson def. Jack Jenkins by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Bantamweight: Francesco Nuzzi def. Xiao Long by TKO (Punches), Round 1, 1:00
Bantamweight: Hector Santiago def. Lawrence Lui by KO (Punches), Round 2, 0:53
Women’s Strawweight: Julia Polastri def. Xiong Jingnan by KO (Head Kick), Round 1, 3:06
Welterweight: Cameron Nelson def. Ding Meng by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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In the night’s main event, Wuttikrai Wor Chakrawut faced off against Iran’s Mohammad Habibpour in bantamweight Muay Thai action.

Where to Watch ONE Championship

ONE Friday Fights 168 takes place on Friday, August 28, 2026 at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. Inner Circle fights are available via the ONE Championship website, while the main card streams live on Youtube for western fight fans. Full results from the event can be found below; the action gets underway at 7:30AM ET, 4:30AM PT.

ONE Friday Fights 168 Results

Wuttikrai Wor Chakrawut def. Mohammad Habibpour by unanimous decision — Muay Thai
Brazil Aekmuangnon def. Petphupa Aekpujean by unanimous decision — Muay Thai
Denis Dotsenko def. Nuengkaonueng Laochokcharoen by TKO, Round 2, 2:00 — Muay Thai
Korpai Sor Yingcharoenkarnchang def. Petburapha Petchompu by TKO, Round 1, 2:32 — Muay Thai
Chalamkhao Sitkhunma def. Mohammed Faizan by knockout, Round 2, 0:20 — Muay Thai
Burklerk Lookmuangpet def. Nueapayak Pudprachachuen by knockout, Round 1, 1:22 — Muay Thai
Yuri Tanaka def. Zhao Chongyang by unanimous decision — Kickboxing
Fahlab Nakhonsawan Sports School def. Valentina Cancello by unanimous decision — Muay Thai
Ryoto Nishiyama def. Geun Ho Son by knockout, Round 1, 4:36 — MMA

The Inner Circle

Lenny Blasi def. Worapon Lukjaoporongtom by unanimous decision — Muay Thai
Chartpayak Saksatoon def. Rambong Sor Therapat by unanimous decision — Muay Thai
Ubaid Hussain def. Isannuea Sor Sasiwat by unanimous decision — Muay Thai
Fakhriddin Khasanov def. Basta Abdelmouneme by unanimous decision — Muay Thai
Keisuke Monguchi def. Jung Hyun Woo by split decision — Kickboxing

The post ONE Friday Fights 168 & The Inner Circle 28 Live Stream and Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

Among the standouts, ONE Championship veteran Meng Bo, a veteran of over thirty professional fights who, in the pro debut of both fighters, had notched a win over UFC star and former strawweight champ Weili Zhang.

Headlining the Road to UFC Season 5 Semifinals card, meanwhile, was a non-tournament bout featuring Maheshate taking on Darrius Flowers. A 2021 Contender Series winner, Maheshate had gone 2-4 under the UFC banner, including a win over the popular Steve Garcia. After picking up a victory on the regional circuit, he was returning to take on Darrius Flowers, himself coming off a victory against Lando Vannata.

Road to UFC Season 5 Semifinals Results

Lightweight: Maheshate Hayisaer def. Darrius Flowers by submission (guillotine choke), Round 1, 2:31
Middleweight: Yilizhati Maimaitijiangvs. Tre’ston Vines ends in a split draw (29-28, 28-29, 28-28)
Featherweight: George Mangos def. Ahejiang Ailinuer by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 2:03 – RTU Semifinal
Bantamweight: Rabindra Dhant def. Kasib Murdoch by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) – RTU Semifinal
Women’s Strawweight: Meng Bo def. Machi Fukuda by split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28) – RTU Semifinal
Flyweight: Takaya Suzuki def. Joseph Larcinese by TKO, Round 3, 0:15 – RTU Semifinal
Featherweight: Dagiisuren Chagnaadorj def. Song Young-jae by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 2:51 –RTU Semifinal
Bantamweight: Ryo Tajima def.  Chungreng Koren by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) – RTU Semifinal
Women’s Strawweight: Park Bo-hyun vs. Farida Abdueva by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) – RTU Semifinal

The post Road to UFC Season 5 Semifinals Full Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

The daughter of UFC legend and former heavyweight champ Frank Mir started the night 4-0, and had already gained experience competing for UFC BJJ as well. In a rare change of heart, UFC CEO and President Dana White appears open to allowing Mir to compete in BJJ, the UFC, and Zuffa Boxing, with the latter being an opportunity he was reluctant to afford UFC fighters in the past.

Opposite Bella Mir was Alex Apodaca, who despite riding a three-fight win streak was opening as the largest female underdog in Contender Series history.

Where to Watch Dana White’s Contender Series

Dana White’s Contender Series Season 10, Week 3 Results

Women’s bantamweight: Alex Apodaca def. Bella Mir by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Heavyweight: Guilherme Uriel def. Mario Piazzon by submission (standing guillotine choke), Round 1, 0:50
Welterweight: Sean Clancy Jr. def. Gary Balletto by TKO, Round 2, 3:54
Welterweight: Ronald Humphrey def. Alexis Miranda by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 4:03
Middleweight: Nick Galanti def. Carlos Petruzzella by knockout, Round 1, 0:35

Contract Winners: Nick Galanti, Ronald Humphrey, Sean Clancy Jr., Guilherme Uriel, Alex Apodaca

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