by sportswriter Dong Yixing
BEIJING, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) -- Song Yadong didn't sleep at all on the night of August 29, after registering the most significant victory of his UFC career so far.
"I was too excited to sleep. The excitement still hasn't fully worn off. Every time I open my phone, it's all about me," Song told Xinhua on Thursday.
In the main event at UFC Fight Night Shanghai at the Oriental Sports Center, Song knocked out Russia's Umar Nurmagomedov in the second round with a devastating uppercut, putting himself into the bantamweight title conversation.
The 28-year-old Chinese spent the night at a post-fight party with friends and celebrities who had traveled there from around the world. Congratulatory messages kept pouring in, and he didn't finish replying until five days later.
Few expected Song to win. Nurmagomedov, cousin of former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, entered the bout ranked third in the division with a professional record of 20-1 and a formidable grappling pedigree. Song, meanwhile, had come up short in three previous high-profile fights against Petr Yan, Sean O'Malley and Cory Sandhagen.
But Song's boxing coach Rudy Hernandez had predicted the finish. "He told me I would knock him out with an uppercut. I thought, how can he be so confident? My opponent is very strong, and nobody was picking me to win," Song recalled.
"But I believed in him. That's why I brought him over from the United States. If I didn't trust him, there would have been no point."
The fight played out exactly as rehearsed. Nurmagomedov took Song down early and controlled him on the ground for much of the first round, but Song remained calm.
"I knew he would take me down. I had visualized that moment countless times in my head, so I wasn't nervous at all. I was only thinking about how to get back up," he said.
In the second round, Song reacted on instinct. "My goal was to use the uppercut. When he came in, I was attacking at the same time, and my body just threw the punch naturally."
The fight was over at 1:48 of round two. Song's post-fight assessment of his opponent was simple: "The only thing that changed is that I actually overestimated him."
Song's composure under pressure didn't come naturally. For years, he struggled with the weight of expectations, particularly in big fights. The turning point came after his loss to O'Malley, when his coach recommended a mental performance coach based in Canada.
The two worked together online for about 10 sessions. When asked why he fought, Song answered because of love and responsibility. The mental performance coach's response changed everything.
"He said responsibility should be deleted, because responsibility won't make you perform better. Only love can do that," Song said. "He asked me when I was happiest, and told me to write down those moments and practice them."
Before the Nurmagomedov fight, Song's mental performance coach introduced visualization and meditation techniques. For six weeks, Song spent 15 minutes every day mentally rehearsing every detail of fight night - the music during his walkout, the feel of hand wraps, the roar of the crowd, the smell of the gloves, even the taste of blood.
"By the time it actually happened, nothing surprised me. I had already lived through it a thousand times," Song explained.
The results were visible. Cameras caught Song smiling after the first round, even as Nurmagomedov controlled him on the ground. An American MMA journalist later asked him why he was smiling against such a dangerous opponent.
After the fight, Song sent a message to Nurmagomedov, expressing respect for him and his team. "I told him that outside the octagon, we are friends. Inside the octagon, we go all out. He replied that he felt the same way, but that he would come back for a rematch."
Song, however, has his eyes on a different target. "I'd really like to fight Merab Dvalishvili. Let's see who wins between him and Yan, and then maybe their next fight. I'm hoping for early next year."
As for the growing expectation that he could become China's first male UFC champion, Song insists the pressure no longer weighs on him. "I've already passed that stage. I've fought many tough battles, and my mentality is in the best place it's ever been. I can face any opponent right now."
Song made his UFC debut in Shanghai in 2017. Nine years later, he returned to the same city and delivered the performance of his life. Reflecting on his journey, he said the biggest change has been mental.
"Life is about cultivating the mind. When you're young, everything is new, and you don't know how to handle it. You can be impatient, afraid, or want to give up. But through all these experiences, you grow stronger and calmer inside. Technique can be trained, but mentality is not so easy to change."
What hasn't changed, he said, is his upward drive and his love for the sport. "Too many people change their dreams and goals every year because they think the path is too hard. They end up achieving nothing. I never changed."
For now, Song plans to finish his media and commercial obligations, take a short rest, and return to training by the end of the month. The win itself, he said, is the greatest reward he could ask for.
"I don't need fancy cars or expensive watches or vacations. This is the biggest gift I could give myself - proving my ability, becoming more confident, and performing better than ever." ■
