Kyle Marley Reveals UFC Fight Night Picks for Aug. 29 Nurmagomedov-Yadong Card

Q: Is the bantamweight title picture about to be completely derailed by a massive underdog victory?

Yes — a Song Yadong upset would seriously scramble the bantamweight queue, even if it would not completely wreck it. Right now, Umar Nurmagomedov is positioned as the clearest active contender behind the championship picture. He is ranked near the top, has already challenged for the belt, and has rebuilt with wins over Mario Bautista and Deiveson Figueiredo. On paper, he is also a heavy favorite over Song, with major edges in striking efficiency, defense and takedown output. That is why this Shanghai main event is being treated as a title-eliminator. If Song wins, the division becomes much less orderly. He would own the biggest victory of his career, likely in front of a home crowd, and would add it to a rebound stretch that already includes a finish of Figueiredo. Because Song is ranked in the top tier and has fought elite opposition, a win over Nurmagomedov would give him a credible claim to a title shot. Still, “completely derailed” may go too far because the title picture already has moving parts. Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili are still central to the division, Sean O’Malley remains in the mix, and Nurmagomedov himself has said the next shot depends heavily on the result of Yan-Dvalishvili 3. So an upset would not destroy the hierarchy; it would complicate it by adding another legitimate claimant and removing the UFC’s simplest next-challenger option. In short, Song winning would be a major disruption — and one of the biggest possible shakeups at 135 pounds this year.

3 articles · Updated · SportsLine · Aug 29

SportsLine analyst Kyle Marley released his selections for Saturday's UFC Fight Night card headlined by Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Song Yadong at Pudong's Oriental Sports Center in China.
The picks cover the full Aug. 29 event on Paramount+, with the latest report centered on Marley's betting outlook for the main event and other matchups.
Nurmagomedov enters the bantamweight contenders' bout as a heavy favorite after earlier reports listed him at -600 against Yadong.
The main event carries title implications, with Nurmagomedov chasing a return to the No. 1 contender spot and Yadong seeking a breakthrough win on home soil.