UFC Shanghai Fight Night Sets Asian Attendance Record

When Chinese fighter Song Yadong knocked out Russia's World No. 3-ranked bantamweight contender Umar Nurmagomedov with a sharp uppercut in the second round, the roar from the stands almost lifted the roof off the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center.

Saturday's UFC Shanghai Fight Night not only witnessed a shining moment for Chinese Mixed Martial Arts, but also set a new UFC Fight Night attendance record in Asia with 16,188 spectators on site.

Song, ranked No. 5 in the bantamweight division, made his UFC debut in Shanghai nine years ago. With overwhelming crowd support, he described his victory as "easy."

"Nine years ago, I proved I was good enough to fight in the UFC," said the Heilongjiang Province native. "Today, I proved that I'm the best in this division."

Song's knockout of Nurmagomedov came in the second round. He seized an opportunity to drop a heavy punch, followed up with ground strikes until the referee stopped the bout.

As a benchmark event in global MMA, UFC made its Chinese mainland debut in Shanghai in 2017. With the rise of stars like Li Jingliang and Zhang Weili, the event has steadily gained increasing fans in China over the years.

This Shanghai card featured 12 Chinese fighters. In the co-main event before Song's bout, Yan Xiaonan, returning from injury, suffered a first-round TKO loss to Brazil's Denise Gomes in a women's strawweight bout.

Two other Chinese fighters who secured victories on Saturday were flyweight Sumudaerji, from the Xizang Autonomous Region, and light heavyweight Liu Ce, from Liaoning Province.

On Friday night, the same venue hosted the "Road to UFC" fights. Over 80 percent of the audiences for the two-day event came from outside Shanghai, and spectators aged 18 to 34 made up as much as 65 percent of the total.