Yadong
Song believes Umar
Nurmagomedov will most likely have to go through him to secure
a bantamweight title shot.
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While Nurmagomedov has been demanding a title shot against Merab
Dvalishvili, the champ thinks the undefeated contender still
has more to prove for a gold bid. Nurmagomedov was then reportedly
on the verge of finalizing a UFC
Tampa headliner matchup against Song in December. However,
Nurmagomedov announced soon after that the booking was off as
Yadong won’t be ready to fight at that event.
Nurmagomedov has since been going back and forth with Dvalishvili,
who has consistently accused the Dagestani of enjoying privileges
due to his relation to cousin Khabib
Nurmagomedov. Nurmagomedov has verbally agreed to postpone the
Song matchup to UFC 311
in January if Dvalishvili doesn’t agree to fight him. And “Kung Fu
Kid” is positive that Nurmagomedov will have to fight him in
January, unless Dvalishvili accepts the matchup before that.
However, that is unlikely given Dvalishvili’s reluctance to fight
Nurmagomedov and the fact the Georgian won the belt just this past
September. Regardless, Song knows nothing is certain until he has
put pen to paper. The Chinese contender is keen to be on the UFC
311 card on Jan. 18 at the Intuit Center in Los Angeles even if
it’s not against Nurmagomedov.
“I think this fight is very likely to happen… I made a comment on
his post and I said, ‘I want to fight Umar in January.’ And he
said, ‘If Merab doesn’t fight me, I will fight you.’ But I think
this depends on Merab,” Song told Helen Yee. “If Merab take the fight before
March, I won’t fight Umar. But if he doesn’t fight Umar, I will
fight him in January, I think. I think Merab won’t take the fight
before then because he just got the belt, and it’s too soon for
him… We’re waiting [for the contract]. Everything will be changed
if you don’t sign… If not him, anybody else. I’m ready for anybody,
just want to fight in January.”