Umar
Nurmagomedov’s goal of becoming a
Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder remains
unshaken.
Nurmagomedov was a massive favorite going into his
UFC Shanghai main event clash against Yadong Song
this past August. Song pulled off the upset, sending the Shanghai
crowd into a frenzy by knocking Nurmagomedov out cold in the second
round. The Russian has now addressed the result and his mindset
going forward.
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Umar Nurmagomedov vows to ‘stay patient and keep working’ in
pursuit of UFC gold
Nurmagomedov recently revealed that he’s undeterred by the upset
loss to Song. The Dagestani has always dreamed of becoming a UFC
champion and still does, which is why he continues to work hard to
better himself in every aspect.
“It would be fair to say that my ambitions have never gone down,”
Nurmagomedov told Red Corner MMA. “Since I decided to become a
fighter and I had a dream to become a UFC champion, it has never
weakened. This ambition has always been with me. I have always
tried to improve in every aspect of the sport. It was never like,
‘Oh, I lost.’ I have always worked hard, brother. What should I do
about it? The Almighty didn’t [grant me the win]. And there’s no
way to take it back. All that’s left is to stay patient and keep
working.”
Nurmagomedov (20-2) suffered his first professional loss in a
failed title bid against Merab
Dvalishvili last year. He rebounded with wins over Mario
Bautista and Deiveson
Figueiredo before losing to Song. Nurmagomedov is scheduled to
return to competition this weekend in Abu Dhabi, facing Urijah Faber
in a wrestling match under the Real American Freestyle banner.
“Since I decided to become a fighter, my
dream of becoming a UFC champion has never weakened”: Umar
Nurmagomedov opens up about his ambitions and mindset following
his recent loss, insisting that his goal of becoming UFC champion
has always remained the same “I’ve always tried to improve in every
aspect of the sport. It was never like ‘Oh, I lost…’ I’ve always
worked hard,” he told Red Corner MMA Nurmagomedov will be back in
action this weekend when he makes his RAF debut at RAF Abu Dhabi
against UFC Hall of Famer Urijah
Faber— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA)
November 9, 2026