Umar Nurmagomedov is now targeting a showdown with Yadong Song after his original opponent, David Martinez, was forced out of their UFC Fight Night 282 co-headliner due to injury, according to Ali Abdelaziz.
Nurmagomedov was scheduled to face Martinez on July 25 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, but with Martinez sidelined, rumors suggest the UFC is looking to book Nurmagomedov against Song instead.
Asked about the potential matchup, Nurmagomedov made his stance clear: "Of course, I'm interested," he said, before unleashing pointed criticism of Song’s past performance against Sean O'Malley at UFC 324. "He's a punching bag. How did he do against O'Malley? He was dead by the third round. ... He was taking knees to the face. How do you fight?"
Nurmagomedov continued, "I don't consider him a top-class fighter, honestly. The only thing he has is that one punch. That's it. What else does he have? For me, it's an easy fight, but of course, I'll prepare to take him out. No underestimation, but I don't know, it's a bit weak."
Song is coming off a submission win over Deiveson Figueiredo in the UFC Fight Night 277 main event, while Nurmagomedov enters the Abu Dhabi card with a 20-1 MMA record and 7-1 mark in the UFC. Martinez, who was originally slated for the co-headliner, holds a 14-1 MMA record and 3-0 UFC record.
