The Octagon heads to SPD Bank Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai, China on Saturday for an exciting event chock-full of fun fights at UFC Shanghai: Nurmagomedov vs. Song.
The card features 13 bouts, including several with potential title implications.
Keep in mind this card begins at 3 a.m. ET / midnight PT, so make sure to set your alarm clock to get up early!
Bantamweight contenders clash in key main event spotlight
The main event of UFC Shanghai is a five-round bantamweight clash between No. 2-ranked contender Umar Nurmagomedov and No. 6-ranked fighter Song Yadong.
Nurmagomedov is 8-1 in the UFC and is coming off two straight wins since he lost his chance to become the UFC bantamweight champion in a failed bid against Merab Dvalishvili in 2025.
As for Song, the Chinese superstar is 12-5 overall in the UFC, and he won his last fight by submission over Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC Macau in May. It was a standout performance that showed he is still improving his skills nearly a decade into his UFC career.
The result of this fight will ultimately come down to whether or not Song can stuff Nurmagomedov’s takedowns, and that’s certainly easier said than done. But if Song can do that and win this fight, he could steal the next title shot at 135 pounds away from Nurmagomedov.
Women’s strawweight contenders battle in co-main event
The co-main event features top-10-ranked women’s strawweights Yan Xiaonan of China and Denise Gomes of Brazil in what could be a low-key banger between two strikers.
Yan is a former title challenger who has not fought in over a year since losing her last fight in April 2025, but the Chinese native will be fighting at home, which gives her an edge.
Gomes, meanwhile, is riding a four-fight win streak and is one of the most powerful knockout artists in her weight class. If she beats Yan, she becomes an immediate title contender.
This should be a fun fight, and one that has major implications in the women’s 115-pound rankings.
Japanese superstar returns to the Octagon
One of Japan’s top MMA talents returns to the Octagon when Kai Asakura battles China’s Aoriqileng in a fight where he is an overwhelming favourite to win.
Asakura lost his first two UFC fights by submission, and it looked like he might be a busted prospect coming over from RIZIN. But he picked up a vicious KO win over Cameron Smotherman in his last fight, and will look to carry that momentum into this bout.
Aoriqileng is an exciting fighter who is always down to stand and bang, but he has been very inconsistent in his MMA career. Coming off a knockout loss to Cody Haddon, this appears to be a nightmare matchup for him against another knockout artist in Asakura, but Aoriqileng will hope to have the Chinese fans cheering him on to carry him through to an upset win.
Rematch between flyweight contenders goes down
We have an important rematch on the card when Sumudaerji takes on Alex Perez.
These two fought at the UFC Macau card in May, but the bout ended in the second round when Sumudaerji accidentally fouled Perez with a low blow that did not allow him to continue.
Now, three months later, these two meet again, and hopefully this time we get some closure between the two flyweights, who are battling each other for a top-15 ranking at 125 pounds.
Top flyweight prospect makes UFC debut
Kicking off the main card, top flyweight prospect Bilal Hasan makes his highly anticipated UFC debut when he battles Peruvian Nilson Rojas, who is also making his UFC debut.
Hasan, who is undefeated with a 9-0, 1 NC record in MMA, turned heads with a 45-second KO win over Mridul Saikia in Week 1 of Season 10 of DWCS, which earned him a contract from UFC president Dana White. Just two weeks later, he steps into the Octagon for his promotional debut when he battles Rojas, who is also undefeated at 9-0.
Both fighters are promising prospects, but Hasan looks like the real deal and could potentially be a new superstar for the UFC if he keeps up his winning ways. Should he win this fight, look for the UFC to fast-track him and get him back in the cage before 2026 is over.
Canadian welterweight prospect fights in UFC for first time
Cam Nelson, the pride of Charlottetown, P.E.I., makes his UFC debut when he takes on Ding Meng in a welterweight bout that serves as the opening preliminary card bout.
Nelson is 28 years old and trains at Charlottetown’s Renzo Gracie PEI, while cross-training at Niagara Top Team in St. Catharines, Ont. He carries a 7-1 professional record into this fight, with five wins by stoppage, and he is riding a five-fight win streak into this matchup.
In his UFC debut, Nelson takes on Ding, a native of China who is 35-10 with 30 finishes. He lost his organizational debut at UFC Macau in May and will hope to bounce back against Nelson.
This isn’t an easy fight for Nelson in his Octagon debut against someone with as much finishing ability as Ding, but either way, it will be nice to see another Canadian on the UFC roster.
