Song Yadong saved the greatest performance of his career for his home country, knocking out former title challenger Umar Nurmagomedov in the men's bantamweight main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Shanghai.
Yadong (24-9-1, 1 NC), a nearly 5-1 underdog at DraftKings Sportsbook, dropped Nurmagomedov with a short right hand, drawing a roar from the crowd when the fight was waved off at 1 minute, 48 seconds of Round 2.
"I believe in myself, and my team believed that I would win this fight," Song said through an interpreter. "They told me I would knock this guy out, and I did it."
It was the second straight fight in China for Song and second straight win by finish. His most recent knockout win had been in 2023.
Song, making his first appearance in Shanghai since his UFC debut at age 19 in 2017, walked out to a hero's welcome.
"Nine years ago, I wanted to show I could walk in this Octagon," he said. "Nine years later, I want to prove I am the best in the world. I am the best Chinese fighter in the world."
The knockout came after Nurmagomedov (20-2) ducked out of the way of a left hand and right into the path of a short right hand, which connected near his right ear and sent him limply to the canvas. Song delivered three finishing shots on the mat before the referee jumped in.
That sent Song running around inside the cage in celebration, where he nearly ran into Nurmagomedov's younger brother and cornerman, PFL lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov, who had rushed in to check on his fallen brother. Usman Nurmagomedov appeared to throw an elbow in Song's direction as the elated winner was running past.
Song climbed atop the cage to soak in the fans' cheers before jumping down outside the cage and running into the crowd to get hugs and high fives from fans.
"Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, maybe not next month, but I will be the first male Chinese UFC champion," Song said through the interpreter, with the "male" designation being a nod to countrywoman Zhang Weili, a two-time women's champion at strawweight.
Song, who trains in Sacramento, California, switched to English and yelled, "Give me the title shot!"