SHANGHAI, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Nine years after Song Yadong and Yan Xiaonan made their UFC debuts on the same card in Shanghai, the two Chinese fighters return to the city on Saturday with both still chasing the biggest prize in mixed martial arts.
Song faces former title challenger Umar Nurmagomedov in a high-stakes bantamweight main event at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center, while former strawweight title challenger Yan takes on Brazil's Denise Gomes in the co-main event.
Song, now ranked sixth, was just 19 when he won his UFC debut in Shanghai in November 2017. Nearly nine years later, he faces one of the toughest stylistic tests of his career against Nurmagomedov, who has lost only once in 21 professional bouts.
"This fight came together quite suddenly and the opponent is very strong, but I've kept myself ready all these years," Song told Xinhua. "When the opportunity comes, you have to seize it. This fight is very important."
Song comes into Saturday's contest after submitting former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo in Macao, China in May, while Nurmagomedov has won two straight since losing his UFC title challenge in 2025.
The matchup pits Song's powerful striking against Nurmagomedov's wrestling-heavy style, and Song admitted his preparations have reflected that threat.
"We've trained takedown defense a lot," he said.
But Song believes his greatest asset remains his self-belief.
"I believe in myself. I have to believe I can win," he said. "I've never doubted myself all these years. I came from being nobody, a kid from the countryside, to what I have now. Every step I've taken has been a reward."
Victory would move Song close to a UFC title shot, although the 28-year-old insisted he is not looking beyond Saturday.
"A lot of people ask me about getting a title shot if I win, but honestly I don't pay much attention to those things," he said.
"I only focus on my next fight, my opponent and how I'm going to fight him."
Asked about his plans for the next three to five years, Song was even more succinct.
"My plan is the next fight."
Yan, meanwhile, believes the sport has changed considerably in China since her own UFC debut in Shanghai in 2017.
"It feels like more people know about MMA now and more people understand the UFC," she said. "The promotion of the sport is much better now and more people know who we are."
The 37-year-old is looking to return to winning ways against Gomes, who has won four straight and has seven knockouts among her 12 professional victories.
Yan said she has made few opponent-specific changes despite the Brazilian's power and youth.
"She's young, but I just need to fight in my own style," Yan said. "Every fighter hopes to finish early and win easily, but your opponent is thinking exactly the same thing. I'm prepared for three very intense rounds."
Yan is also returning after recovering from a serious spiral fracture which kept her out of full training for around six months.
"I was scared and worried," she recalled. "I was thinking, 'Will I still be able to train? Is my career over?'"
Any fear has since disappeared, she said, while dismissing suggestions that age could become a limiting factor.
"Age is only a psychological issue for me," Yan said. "My coaches and my whole team don't treat age as an issue. I train exactly as I did when I was younger, but now I'm more focused."
Saturday's card also sees Aoriqileng face former RIZIN champion Kai Asakura, Sumudaerji meet Alex Perez in a rematch of their May no contest, and Chinese kickboxer Liu Ce make his UFC debut against Levi Rodrigues Jr.
For Song, victory would represent another step toward a goal no Chinese male fighter has yet achieved.
"It's not easy to win a UFC belt," he said. "But more and more young people in China have started training and they have a lot of potential. I think we'll have our own male UFC champion soon." ■
