SHANGHAI, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- China's Song Yadong scored the biggest win of his UFC career with a stunning second-round knockout of former title challenger Umar Nurmagomedov in Shanghai on Saturday, while compatriot Yan Xiaonan suffered a first-round stoppage defeat to Brazil's Denise Gomes in the co-main event.
Sixth-ranked bantamweight Song (23-9-1, 1 NC) entered the fight as a sizeable underdog against No. 3 Nurmagomedov, whose only previous defeat came against then-champion Merab Dvalishvili.
In the first round, both men began cautiously, looking to launch their offense behind lead kicks. The tentative opening stanza changed when Nurmagomedov shot for a takedown and got Song's legs faster than the Chinese could sprawl.
However, Song was able to get back to his feet - no easy task against Nurmagomedov, after being taken down in the middle of the cage without spending much time on the ground, and without being in any danger.
The round ended with both men on their feet and remained relatively even, with Song perhaps landing the cleaner strikes.
In the second, Song successfully defended an early takedown attempt, much to the delight of the sold-out Oriental Sports Center. The pair began exchanging more freely on the feet, and Song started to shift the momentum in his favor.
Nurmagomedov shot again midway through the round, but Song was ready, stuffing the attempt before landing a hard right hand to the neck that dropped the Dagestani. Song then swarmed with a series of hammer fists to secure the knockout 1:48 into the round.
The victory puts Song firmly into bantamweight title contention and underlined the 28-year-old's development from a primarily striking-based fighter into a more complete mixed martial artist capable of dealing with Nurmagomedov's highly regarded wrestling.
In the co-main event, fourth-ranked Yan suffered a major setback to her hopes of another strawweight title challenge after being stopped by 14th-ranked Gomes.
Yan initially used her movement and side kicks to maintain distance, while both fighters landed hard shots. But Gomes found her way inside late in the opening round, dropping Yan with a sharp elbow before following up with punches that forced referee Herb Dean to stop the contest.
The victory is the biggest of the 26-year-old Brazilian's career and should propel her toward the top of the division, while leaving 37-year-old Yan with a difficult route back to title contention.
Former RIZIN bantamweight champion Kai Asakura continued his resurgence since moving back up from flyweight with a second-round stoppage of China's Aoriqileng.
After a measured opening round, Asakura increased the variety and pace of his striking in the second, rocking Aoriqileng with a head kick before finishing the fight with punches.
China's Sumudaerji earned a unanimous decision over 11th-ranked Alex Perez in their flyweight rematch after their first meeting in Macao, China, in May ended in a no contest.
Perez found repeated success with his wrestling through the opening two rounds, but Sumudaerji's takedown defense improved sharply in the third as he landed the cleaner strikes from range and attacked with knees and elbows in the clinch to secure a 29-28 verdict from all three judges.
Chinese light heavyweight Liu Ce made an explosive UFC debut with a first-round knockout of Brazil's Levi Rodrigues Jr.
The former K-1 kickboxing champion traded heavy shots with Rodrigues before gradually taking control of the exchanges, eventually landing a devastating overhand right late in the round to end the contest.
In the main-card opener, Indonesia's Bilal Hasan remained unbeaten with a second-round knockout of Peru's Nilson Rojas. Rojas showed resilience after a difficult opening round, but Hasan's superior speed ultimately told, with a perfectly timed straight right ending the fight in the second. Alongside Song, Hasan was awarded a Performance of the Night bonus.
On the preliminary card, China's Ding Meng dropped a 29-28 decision to Canada's Cameron Nelson after being controlled on the ground for much of the opening two rounds, despite rallying with improved takedown defense and cleaner striking in the third.
Xiong Jingnan suffered a first-round head-kick knockout loss to Brazil's Julia Polastri, while Lawrence Lui and China's Xiao Long were both stopped by strikes.
Sean Woodson edged Jack Jenkins by split decision before Japan's Rei Tsuruya dominated Kevin Borjas on the ground to secure a first-round rear-naked choke.
In the featured prelim, Andre Lima submitted Namsrai Batbayar with a guillotine after countering a takedown attempt. ■
