Things got wild after UFC Shanghai last Saturday, but Song Yadong isn’t holding a grudge against Usman Nurmagomedov. After knocking out Umar Nurmagomedov in the main event, the ‘Kung Fu Kid’ says he understands why Usman came charging into the Octagon, even if things got a little chaotic.

“Actually, I totally understand, you know, his feeling,” Song Yadong told Ariel Helwani. “His brother got knocked out, and I still punched him. You know, his brother, if I was him, I probably do the same thing too.”

‘Young Eagle’ suffered the first knockout loss of his career when Song Yadong stopped him in the second round with a well-timed uppercut, and the victory propelled the Chinese bantamweight into title contention. However, as ‘Kung Fu Kid’ celebrated his biggest win to date, Usman jumped over the cage to reach his older brother and found himself right in the path of Yadong’s victory celebration.

Usman Nurmagomedov appeared to extend his hands as the Chinese fighter ran toward him before making a motion that looked like a spinning elbow directed at the Chinese star’s face as Song Yadong passed him by inches. However, he did not fully commit to the strike; therefore, no contact was made.

‘Kung Fu Kid’ believes that distinction is crucial. The 24-9 fighter also pointed out that there was no personal rivalry between the two men that would give Usman a reason to deliberately attack him.

“But I think he… I saw he’s not, like, come to attack me,” Yadong continued. “He just… he just surprised I ran towards him, and he just, like, defended himself and reacted. He’s not, like, wanted to attack me. He’s a very professional fighter, and actually they are a very good team.

“You know, I met them. Actually we’ve been training together. Use one mat, one cage. You know, we met every day, same sauna, same hot tub every day. Sometimes we talk, sometimes no, but we are very friendly. You know, I don’t think we have something personal, and I don’t think he want attack me in the cage.”

That history is another reason Song Yadong doesn’t want the incident turned into something bigger than it was.

“He just reacted, you know. People think too much about (it.),” he added. “No hard feelings at all, yeah.”

Song isn’t simply giving Usman a pass. He’s also acknowledging his role in the chaos. Umar Nurmagomedov was already out when the Chinese fighter landed a couple more strikes on him before the referee intervened, and the bantamweight admits he understands how it could have set the PFL lightweight champion off.

From Usman’s point of view, seeing his brother get knocked out and then take a couple of extra punches was bound to hit a nerve. Those late shots are obviously going to draw criticism, but ‘Kung Fu Kid’ isn’t trying to dodge that.

Instead, he openly acknowledged that he kept punching ‘Young Eagle,’ and that bit of self-awareness makes his response stand out from fighters who’ve gone out of their way to defend similar moments.

Jorge Masvidal, for example, secured the fastest knockout in UFC history against Ben Askren at UFC 239 in just 5 seconds back in 2019 but still landed two additional punches on a clearly unconscious opponent before the referee could intervene. When asked if those shots were required, ‘Gamebred’ famously called them “super necessary.”

Usman Nurmagomedov, meanwhile, has also rejected the suggestion that he intended to attack Song. After the incident, the Russian fighter argued that if he had actually wanted to hit the Chinese star, he would have done so.

With Song Yadong now stating that he understands Usman Nurmagomedov’s reaction, a claim very similar to what he also said a few days ago, the incident appears to have far less hostility behind it than the viral clip first suggested.

In fact, a legend such as Daniel Cormier has also pushed back against the backlash directed at the PFL lightweight champion following the chaotic ending to UFC Shanghai.

‘DC’ backs Usman Nurmagomedov in Song Yadong encounter

While Daniel Cormier acknowledged that Usman wasn’t supposed to enter the Octagon, ‘DC’ argued that there was no reason to portray the incident as an attempted attack when Usman Nurmagomedov was clearly trying to reach his brother.

“He did not elbow him. Let’s stop making conspiracy theories out there, people. He did not elbow him, and he did not attack Song Yadong,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “What he did was try to get to his brother.”

However, ‘DC’ did draw a clear contrast between understanding Usman’s feelings and defending his decision to climb into the cage.

“Now, that in itself is not allowed,” DC argued. “We are not allowed to do that. But, if there’s anyone that you care about immensely and you want to try to rush to their side in that moment, it is your brother.”

Usman Nurmagomedov’s decision to enter the Octagon could still bring some form of disciplinary action, especially because fighters and members of their teams are usually not allowed to enter the cage before the situation has been cleared. However, Song Yadong, Usman, and Daniel Cormier’s reactions offer a much calmer picture of what happened.

‘Kung Fu Kid’ doesn’t believe Nurmagomedov was trying to hurt him, Usman claims he would have landed the hit if that had been his purpose and ‘DC’ believes the incident was just an emotional brother trying to reach his sibling after a devastating knockout.