Song Yadong isn’t letting the viral moment with Usman Nurmagomedov become something it need not be. After viciously knocking out Usman’s older brother, Umar Nurmagomedov, at UFC Shanghai this past Saturday, ‘The Kung Fu Kid’ has now spoken out about the wild scene that ensued, and his explanation is far more chill than you might expect.

In a recent interview, the Chinese bantamweight star recalled the moment when he was celebrating his big win only to find the PFL lightweight champion standing right in front of him.

“Well, at the time I looked, I just wanted to spin around and then celebrate a bit,” he said in his native Mandarin. “And then he—I don’t even know where this figure came from, just stood in front of me, blocking me. Then [Usman Nurmagomedov] shoved me a bit, so I just pushed him aside and kept walking.

“But watching the slow motion, it looked like he was turning around to throw an elbow or something. But actually, I understand because they are brothers, you know.”

Slow-motion footage showed Usman Nurmagomedov seemingly turning toward Song Yadong as if he were about to deliver a spinning elbow to his face, but stopping at the very last second.

But even after seeing the clip, ‘Kung Fu Kid’ doesn’t believe the PFL champion was deliberately trying to hurt him, especially given there had been no previous bad blood between the two camps that would suggest that Nurmagomedov entered the Octagon looking for a confrontation.

“It is just that they didn’t have any toward me, and I didn’t have any toward them, any kind of malicious verbal attacks or anything before the game,” Song Yadong continued. “So it is not like the internet said that he wanted to maliciously attack me or anything.

“He just thought I was going over to attack him because he went over to check on his brother, and suddenly someone runs over. You know? Yeah. Like you definitely react that way because everyone can see in the slow motion. His eyes were closed. His eyes were closed like this.”

Instead of claiming that Usman Nurmagomedov was after him, Song Yadong appeared to give him a pass. From his perspective, Usman had just witnessed his brother get knocked unconscious, so emotions were obviously running sky-high.

The 24-9 fighter’s comments come after one of the biggest wins of his career. The Chinese contender knocked out Umar Nurmagomedov in the second round with a stunning uppercut, handing ‘Young Eagle’ his second professional MMA loss and his first knockout defeat.

As Umar fell unconscious, Usman, seated behind Khabib Nurmagomedov, jumped over the Octagon fence to check on his brother. At almost the exact same time, Song was running around the cage celebrating, resulting in the collision that sparked the controversy.

The incident instantly became one of the most talked-about moments from UFC Shanghai, with fans and even fellow fighters wondering whether the Dagestani’s movement toward ‘Kung Fu Kid’ was an attempt to attack or simply an emotional reaction to watching his brother knocked out.

UFC women’s flyweight contender Casey O’Neill was among those who noticed the moment.

“Did anyone else notice Umar corner man that jumped the cage try to spinning back elbow Song as he ran past?” she wrote on X.

However, the Chinese prospect’s explanation suggests he has no intention of turning the incident into a feud. Instead, Song Yadong has chosen to give Usman the benefit of the doubt because he understands the emotions involved when a brother sees his sibling suffer such a brutal defeat.

It is worth noting that Usman Nurmagomedov has also responded to the controversy, strongly rejecting the suggestion that he deliberately wanted to strike ‘Kung Fu Kid’.

Usman Nurmagomedov addresses the alleged elbow

The incident led to criticism from fans and fighters, notably because Usman Nurmagomedov entered the Octagon when he was not supposed to. However, the PFL lightweight champion argued that the rumors about his intentions have been exaggerated.

“Only what has been ordained for us will befall us. Alhamdulillah in every situation,” Usman wrote on Instagram in his native Russian. “People are making such a huge tragedy out of this; they really ought to calm down. There are far worse things. You don’t need to think long about it; just look at what is happening in the world.

“And regarding the claim that I supposedly wanted to hit [Umar’s] opponent… If I had wanted to, I would have hit him.”

Usman Nurmagomedov then criticized those who were accusing him of trying to maliciously attack Song.

“You spiteful, petty, and envious people,” he added. “Your problem is that you have never known, nor will you ever know, family love and understanding.

“If you don’t know what a brother means to a brother, then it is not me you should pity, but yourselves.”

However, it is worth noting that Usman Nurmagomedov has, in the past, too, found himself in controversy for entering the Octagon the same way. In June 2024, he was at UFC 302 to see Islam Makhachev take on Dustin Poirier.

When Makhachev submitted ‘The Diamond,’ the undefeated fighter jumped over the safety barriers illegally and celebrated inside the Octagon. As expected, security reacted quickly, and UFC CEO Dana White later confirmed that Usman had been ejected from the arena for violating commission rules.

This time, however, it seems like the UFC-bound fighter was simply trying to check on his brother after he had been brutally knocked unconscious. And now, even Song has made it clear that he does not believe the incident was a malicious attempt to attack him.

With both fighters offering similar explanations of the chaotic moment, the controversy appears far less personal than the viral footage initially suggested.