UFC Fight Night heads to the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center in China on Saturday the 29th of August, with a bantamweight main event between Umar Nurmagomedov and Song Yadong topping the bill. We take a closer look at the Main Event as well as two additional bouts from the Main Card from a betting angle below.
Click here to bet on the full fight card.
UMAR NURMAGOMEDOV vs SONG YADONG
Bantamweight – Main Event:
Umar Nurmagomedov enters this main event with a UFC record of 8 wins and 1 loss. The Russian has established himself as one of the division’s most accomplished grapplers, combining persistent takedown work with dangerous submission ability and a varied kicking game.
He comes into this matchup having beaten Deiveson Figueiredo by unanimous decision after previously defeating Mario Bautista in the same fashion. Before those victories he suffered his only UFC defeat against Merab Dvalishvili by unanimous decision for the title, while earlier wins over Cory Sandhagen and Bekzat Almakhan demonstrate his ability to control opponents over three and five rounds.
Song Yadong arrives with a resume of 12 wins, 4 losses and 1 draw under the institution. The Chinese contender has developed into one of the division’s most dangerous all-round strikers, with considerable knockout power and enough grappling ability to punish opponents who become too predictable.
His latest appearance resulted in a second round submission victory over Deiveson Figueiredo after previously suffering a unanimous decision defeat to Sean O’Malley. Before that he defeated Henry Cejudo by unanimous decision, while victories over Chris Gutierrez and Ricky Simon earlier strengthened his position among the division’s leading contenders.
BETTING – click here to bet
Umar Nurmagomedov 1.16
Song Yadong 5.75
PREDICTION:
Nurmagomedov should look to make this a grappling-heavy contest from the outset, using his movement to close distance before chaining together takedowns and positional advances. Song is capable of making him pay if he can keep the fight standing but Umar’s ability to repeatedly force grappling exchanges should limit the Chinese fighter’s opportunities to settle into his combinations. With Nurmagomedov having gone the distance in his last two victories, I expect Song to show enough resilience to survive the early stages but spend too much of the contest defending from underneath and I believe Nurmagomedov’s cardio will carry him to a decision triumph.
YAN XIAONAN vs DENISE GOMES
Women’s Strawweight – Co-Main Event:
Yan Xiaonan comes into this contest with a tally of 9 wins and 4 losses inside the promotion. The Chinese veteran is an experienced striker who has spent years competing against the best available opposition in the strawweight division.
She comes into this matchup after a unanimous decision defeat to Virna Jandiroba having previously earning a unanimous decision victory over Tabatha Ricci. Before that she lost a five-round decision to Zhang Weili in a title fight, although she had earlier stopped Jessica Andrade in the opening round and defeated Mackenzie Dern by majority decision.
Denise Gomes arrives with a UFC record of 6 wins and 2 losses. The Brazilian has quickly developed a reputation for aggressive striking and carries a genuine finishing threat, with three of her six UFC victories coming inside the distance.
Her latest appearance ended in a unanimous decision victory over Tecia Pennington after previously stopping Elise Reed by second round TKO. Notably she heads into this weekend riding a four fight unbeaten run.
BETTING – click here to bet
Yan Xiaonan 1.71
Denise Gomes 2.20
PREDICTION:
Xiaonan’s experience and striking discipline should be particularly useful in a matchup where Gomes is likely to look for explosive exchanges. The Chinese veteran has faced more high level opposition and should be comfortable managing the distance while accumulating points over three rounds. Gomes has the power to make this uncomfortable if she can force Yan into extended exchanges but Xiaonan’s experience in competitive decisions gives her the edge. I expect Yan to keep the fight at a measured pace, avoid the Brazilian’s early blows and secure a unanimous decision victory.
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AORI QILENG vs KAI ASAKURA
Bantamweight – Main Card Bout:
Aori Qileng enters this bout with a UFC record of 4 wins, 5 losses and 1 no contest although he carries ample experience outside the organisation. The Chinese bantamweight has produced some memorable finishes during his UFC run, with two of his victories coming by stoppage.
He comes into this bout following a second round KO/TKO defeat to Cody Haddon after previously stopping Cody Gibson in just 21 seconds. Before that he lost a unanimous decision to Raul Rosas Jr., while earlier victories over Johnny Munoz and Cameron Else helped establish his reputation as a dangerous opponent when allowed to dictate the tempo.
Kai Asakura steps into the octagon having fought 3 fights under the UFC of which he has lost 2 and won the remainder. The Japanese fighter has considerably more experience outside the promotion and landed in the UFC as a hot prospect.
His most recent appearance resulted in a first round KO/TKO victory over Cameron Smotherman after previously suffering a submission defeat to Tim Elliott. Before that he was submitted by Alexandre Pantoja in his UFC debut which happened to be for the belt.
BETTING – click here to bet
Aori Qileng 5.00
Kai Asakura 1.20
PREDICTION:
Asakura should have the advantage whenever the contest is fought at striking range, where his speed and finishing instincts can create problems for Qileng. The Chinese fighter is capable of producing heavy shots of his own but his recent knockout defeat to Cody Haddon highlighted the risks involved when he is forced into prolonged exchanges with an aggressive opponent. Asakura’s latest first round stoppage should give him confidence and I expect him to press forward early rather than allowing Qileng to settle into the fight. The Japanese fighter should find the opening needed to secure a knockout and I believe it comes in the opening round.
SUGGESTED BETS:
Nurmagomedov vs Song
Nurmagomedov by Decision at 1.67
Yan Xiaonan vs Denise Gomes
Yan Xiaonan by Decision at 2.05
Aoriqileng vs Kai Asakura
Asakura by Knockout at 1.59
The treble of all 3 of my bets to land works out to 5.44 and you can use this code to populate your bet slip if you would like to follow: 9996836
Note: All prices are correct at the time of writing but subject to change.
