LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JANUARY 24: (L-R) Sean O'Malley and Song Yadong of China touch gloves during the UFC 324 event at T-Mobile Arena on January 24, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC) Song Yadong turned the bantamweight division on its head by knocking out Umar Nurmagomedov atop the UFC Shanghai MMA event last weekend in China, a performance that will likely have “The Kung Fu Kid” replace Nurmagomedov in the Top 5 of the 135-pound weight class. But was it enough to land Yadong the next bantamweight title shot? That depends on what happens in the UFC 333 rubber match between Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili. Yan defeated “The Machine” to capture the crown at UFC 323, but was previously defeated by former champion Sean O’Malley, who expects to settle that score if “No Mercy” retains in Abu Dhabi. O’Malley (20-3, 1 NC) scored a decision nod over Song at UFC 324 back in January. “Just how good is Sean O’Malley?” O’Malley said after watching Song beat Nurmagomedov. “He knocked him out cold. He necked him out. If Merab wins, it sounds like you have to give Song the title shot. If not, if Petr wins, I get the title shot. Mario (Bautista) is right there, too. The division is on fire right now.” Bautista (18-3) has won 10 of his last 11 but fell to Nurmagomedov at UFC 321 in late 2025. “My boxing coach, Rudy Hernandez, he already told me, ‘You gonna get the knockout tonight with an uppercut.’ I feel like I can finish everyone,” Song said in his UFC Shanghai post-fight interview. “I can finish Petr, I can finish Merab. So even Sean’s fight was very close. You know, if we have a rematch, I can finish him too.” For complete UFC Shanghai results and highlights click here.