In his endless quest to break into the top of the bantamweight rankings, Song Yadong finally made a quantum leap.
Song knocked out Umar Nurmagomedov in the main event of UFC Shanghai this past Saturday, not only becoming the first fighter to finish Nurmagomedov and just the second-ever to beat him, but also scoring arguably the biggest upset of 2026. Let’s ponder that for a moment.
Up until this point, the Song narrative was straightforward: Talented fighter. Heavy hitter. Young, still developing.
Not good enough to beat the best.
That might sound harsh, but consider the evidence. Wins over Henry Cejudo, Marlon Moraes, and Marlon all look great on paper, but he caught Cejudo in his winless return to the UFC, Moraes in the middle of what would become a a seven-fight losing streak, and the Vera win was controversial on the cards.
Song is good, no doubt, but how did he fare against 135’s current stars? Cory Sandhagen. Lost. Petr Yan. Lost. Sean O’Malley. Lost. And none of those fights were particularly close. So what chance did he have to beat Nurmagomedov, who seemed to just be staying busy with workmanlike wins as he waited for his championship window to re-open?
Pretty big chance, as it turns out! With one perfectly placed punch, Song leveled Nurmagomedov, and it’s now undeniable that the Chinese standout belongs in the discussion for a title shot. Following UFC Shanghai, the 28-year-old rises from No. 7 to No. 4 in our rankings.
Where does Song’s win rank among 2026’s most shocking moments given that this has been the year of the upset? Is it a bigger deal than Sean Strickland becoming a two-time champion by toppling the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev? Can it come close to Justin Gaethje’s emotional victory over Ilia Topuria at UFC White House to finally become undisputed lightweight champion? And then there are the numerous undercard upsets we’ve had in the past few months alone.
I don’t know if I’m willing to anoint Song as the year’s biggest surprise just yet—and don’t forget, we’ve still got four potentially unpredictable months left—but I know the last thing I expected when I woke up in the wee hours of Saturday was to see Song celebrating and Nurmagomedov out cold on the canvas. Whatever ceiling we thought was looming over Song’s head, he just shattered it.
Check out the latest MMA Fighting bantamweight rankings below.
Recent results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): No. 7 Song Yadong def. No. 3 Umar Nurmagomedov, No. 6 Mario Bautista def. No. 5 Cory Sandhagen
Upcoming bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 1 Petr Yan vs. No. 2 Merab Dvalishvili (UFC 333, Oct. 24), No. 9 David Martinez vs. Dan Ige (Noche UFC 4, Sept. 12), No. 10 Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Payton Talbott (UFC 332, Oct. 3), No. 13 Marlon Vera vs. Charles Jourdain (UFC 331, Sept. 19), No. 14 Raoni Barcelos vs. Raul Rosas Jr. (UFC Vegas 121, Sept. 26)
Fighters also receiving votes (number of ballot appearances shown): Farid Basharat (2), Marcus McGhee (2), Magomed Magomedov (1), Payton Talbott (1), Raufeon Stots (1)
