As a major betting underdog, Yadong rose to the occasion versus Umar Nurmagomedov, stopping the Russian wrestler in round two with a powerful uppercut connection (watch here). Nurmagomedov had previously only lost a competitive title fight to Merab Dvalishvili and was already on the road back to a title shot, so the devastating loss is quite a setback.
According to former UFC double champion, Henry Cejudo, it might also just be a case of bad luck. Despite the definitive outcome, Cejudo still believes Nurmagomedov to be the better fighter who wins a majority of the time.
“(Nurmagomedov) just got caught, bro,” Cejudo said on his “Pound 4 Pound” podcast (via MMA Junkie). “This is just a game of getting caught. Sometimes you get caught. I think nine out of 10 times Umar gets it done in whatever (way) he wants to, in my opinion. This is just one of those times, one of those fights where legit you just get caught on the spot, and that’s it.”
Cejudo continued, “I wonder if he’s cutting too much weight or a little overthrown. Because that right uppercut did land, but sometimes when you don’t have that much water in your brain, things can kind of go off in there.”
Cejudo’s analysis feels a bit reductive. Though Yadong’s uppercut was a perfectly timed interception that might be difficult to replicate, it was far from his only moment of success. “The KungFu Kid” also managed to stuff a takedown, escape from bottom position, and land multiple hard body punches prior to the fight-finishing blow. Furthermore, Yadong’s uppercut was also he set up with body work to capitalize on an established habit of his opponent.
Now feels like a great time to remember that Yadong fought Cejudo last year, beating up “Triple C” before an eye poke resulted in a technical decision victory for the Chinese athlete. Could this be a case of sour grapes or is this honest analysis?
Either way, it will likely be a long while until Nurmagomedov has a chance to prove himself in a rematch. He’ll be forced to rebuild after this defeat, whereas Yadong is suddenly an active player in the complicated Bantamweight title picture.
