Song Ya-dong vs. Umar set for UFC Shanghai main event; Song Young-jae in Road to UFC semis

Chinese UFC standout Song Ya-dong (28) will headline a home-country event when he steps into the octagon as the main event of a UFC Fight Night card. His opponent will be the formidable Umar Nurmagomedov (30, Russia).

The UFC officially announced the matchup Wednesday. Bantamweight No. 5 Song (23-1-9) headlined UFC Fight Night Macao in May and will do the same at UFC Fight Night Shanghai, set for Aug. 29 at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center. It will be his sixth career main event on Chinese soil, where his drawing power is all but guaranteed.

Song has built his top-five standing with notable wins over two-division champion Henry Cejudo, Marlon Moraes and former title contender Chito Vera. He enters the Shanghai bout aiming to score a decisive victory over Nurmagomedov and vault himself into title contention.

Ranked No. 3, Umar Nurmagomedov (20-1) was originally scheduled to compete at UFC Abu Dhabi on July 25, but his bout against David Martinez fell through, prompting the move to Shanghai a month later. Despite falling short in a bantamweight title bid, he has rattled off two straight wins and continues to look as dangerous as ever.

A well-rounded fighter with world-class wrestling, Nurmagomedov has also beaten Figueredo and scored victories over former title contender Cory Sandhagen and Mario Bautista. He enters this fight determined to reclaim his shot at the belt.

In the co-main event, China's first female UFC fighter and former strawweight title contender Yan Xiaonan (37, China), ranked No. 4, takes on rising No. 13 Denize Gomes (26, Brazil).

The day before the Shanghai card, Road to UFC Season 5 semifinals will take place at the same venue. The featherweight (65.8 kg) bracket features Ahejiang Ailinaer (17-3, China) vs. George Mangos (9-1, Australia), and Chagnaadordj Dagiisurengiyn (11-2, Mongolia) vs. Song Young-jae (10-1, South Korea).

Song, nicknamed "Kozon," punched his ticket to the semis with a dramatic comeback submission win over Japan's Aoi Jin in the quarterfinals in May. He arrives for Tuesday's bout with a fresh haircut and renewed focus. The winner of the eight-man RTU tournament earns a full UFC contract.

In the women's strawweight (52.2 kg) semifinals, Park Bo-hyun (9-3, South Korea) faces Farida Abdueva (8-1, Kyrgyzstan), while Fukuda Machi (11-2, Japan) meets Meng Bo (28-3, China). Park cruised to a dominant quarterfinal win with her compact, aggressive fighting style and will look to carry that momentum into the semis.