Henry Cejudo: ''Umar Nurmagomedov Lost Because of a Lucky Shot!''

Former UFC bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo believes Song Yadong’s recent upset victory over Umar Nurmagomedov was largely a stroke of luck. Song completely shook up the 135-pound division by scoring a stunning second-round knockout against Nurmagomedov in the main event of UFC Fight Night 286 in Shanghai, China. The spectacular finish came when Song landed a perfectly timed uppercut that immediately dropped his opponent to the canvas.

However, Cejudo remains unimpressed by the performance. Speaking to co-host Kamaru Usman on their Pound 4 Pound podcast, Cejudo downplayed the victory as a fluke. He stated that Nurmagomedov simply got caught on the spot, arguing that the Russian contender would win that exact matchup nine out of ten times.

Cejudo, who previously lost a technical decision to Song in February 2025, also speculated that a difficult weight cut might have contributed to the knockout. He questioned whether Nurmagomedov was cutting too much weight, suggesting that dehydration and a lack of fluid around the brain can make a fighter far more vulnerable to getting stopped by a single clean strike.

With this latest setback, the 30-year-old Nurmagomedov drops to a 2-2 record over his last four UFC appearances.