Usman Nurmagomedov has broken his silence after appearing to almost elbow Song Yadong in the face moments after his older brother Umar’s brutal knockout loss at UFC Shanghai yesterday. The reigning PFL lightweight champion was among the first to jump into the Octagon toward the ‘Young Eagle’ after Yadong’s powerful uppercut knocked Umar Nurmagomedov out in the second round of their main event bout.

However, as the Chinese bantamweight ran around the Octagon celebrating this major upset, Usman, who had just jumped into the Octagon then, appeared to come dangerously close to throwing a spinning elbow directly at Yadong, causing a massive uproar among those who had tuned in to watch the fight. The 28-year-old has now addressed the allegations in an effort to quell the backlash.

“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 turned his focus to those who were criticizing his reaction, claiming that those who do not understand brotherhood should not pass judgment on him.

“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.”

The controversy followed one of the biggest upsets in Umar Nurmagomedov’s career. The Dagestani entered the UFC Shanghai main event as a massive -600 favorite, but Song Yadong completely flipped the script. At 1:48 in the second round, the Chinese star connected a stunning uppercut, knocking ‘Young Eagle’ out and becoming the first fighter to do it.

Without waiting for the doors to open, Usman Nurmagomedov immediately jumped over the cage to check on his brother. However, as ‘Kung Fu Kid’ ran past him, the Dagestani fighter appeared to make a spinning motion toward the Chinese fighter, prompting fans to question whether he tried to land a shot.

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.

Usman Nurmagomedov was soon joined by the remainder of Umar’s crew, which included Khabib Nurmagomedov, Iakub Shikhdzhamalov, and Abubakar Nurmagomedov. The group surrounded Umar and ensured that he was responsive following the brutal knockout.

And fortunately, the situation ultimately didn’t escalate. Song Yadong subsequently returned to check on Umar, and Khabib even helped clean blood from the big cut over the Chinese fighter’s brow before the 30-year-old was helped out of the cage.

Interestingly, this isn’t the first time Usman has found himself in trouble for jumping into the Octagon to join a teammate.

He attended UFC 302 in June 2024 to support Islam Makhachev‘s fight against Dustin Poirier. After Makhachev submitted ‘The Diamond,’ Usman illegally jumped over the safety barriers and celebrated inside the Octagon.

Security quickly responded as expected, and Dana White later confirmed Usman was ejected from the arena for violating commission rules. This time, though, Usman claims the focus should be on the fact that he was simply tending to his brother after such a tough moment. And the fact that he is most likely UFC-bound helped keep him from getting evicted this time around.

The loss dropped Umar Nurmagomedov’s professional record to 20-2, with both defeats coming in the UFC. Before his knockout, Khabib’s cousin had only lost once, to Merab Dvalishvili by unanimous decision at UFC 311 in January 2025.

‘Young Eagle’ had bounced back from that defeat with wins over Deiveson Figueiredo and Mario Bautista, reintroducing himself into the bantamweight title picture. But now, his path toward another championship opportunity has become considerably more complicated.

His latest defeat has already prompted some fans to wonder if he has what it takes to become a UFC champion and follow in the footsteps of his cousin Khabib Nurmagomedov. His teammate Islam Makhachev, on the other hand, is clearly skeptical of such a narrative.

Islam Makhachev backs Umar Nurmagomedov after first career knockout loss

The reigning welterweight champion was quick to show support for his teammate after Umar Nurmagomedov suffered the first knockout loss of his career.

“We are content with what has been decreed for us, Alhamdulillah,” Makhachev wrote on his Instagram. “There are many trials on the path to the goal, but I am sure you will handle it, brother.”

Islam Makhachev isn’t new to the idea of a fighter not being defined by a single loss. The Dagestani phenom’s lone loss of his career came in 2015 at UFC 192 when he was knocked out by Adriano Martins.

Since then, the Dagestani phenom has gone on an incredible 17-fight winning streak, establishing himself as one of the best lightweight champions in UFC history and eventually moving up to become the promotion’s reigning welterweight champion.

That is likely the same perspective Makhachev has when looking at Umar Nurmagomedov.

Nurmagomedov had already shown his ability to recover from adversity following his defeat to ‘The Machine.’ Now he’ll have to do it again after suffering a loss unlike anything he’s experienced before.

For now, though, ‘Young Eagle’ has reassured fans that he’s doing well and plans to return.

“Everything is fine with me,” Nurmagomedov wrote on Instagram (translated to English via Instagram). “Thank you so much to everyone who writes. I will work on the mistakes. And I will be back.”

With his family and teammates firmly behind him, the ‘Young Eagle’ still has plenty of time to rebuild his path toward the bantamweight title.