Watch: Song Yadong and Helen Yee throwdown in Table Tennis as he preps for January bout against Umar Nurmagomedov

UFC athlete Song Yadong left the octagon behind and picked up the table tennis paddle as he battles interviewer Helen Yee at the table. The Chinese-born ‘The Kung Fu Kid’ also explained his game plan for facing Umar Nurmagomedov in January.

Song Yadong and Helen Yee in Ping Pong

Below, you can watch the full clip of Helen Yee and Song Yadong playing table tennis.

Song Yadong vs. Umar Nurmagomedov

The 26-year-old Song Yadong is competing in one of the most competitive weight classes in the UFC; bantamweight. At the top stands the champion Merab Dvalishvili who just earned UFC gold from Sean O’Malley. China’s Yadong has losses to the top-ranked Petr Yan and Cory Sandhagen but has ten wins in the organization.

It was rumored that he was to be fighting Olympian and former champion Henry Cejudo next. Yadong explained why this fight was called off. Speaking with Helen Yee he said, “Henry got injured. I don’t know what happened, but he didn’t want to fight me.”

Instead, it sounds as though Yadong will face the undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov, cousin of Khabib Nurmagomedov, in January. The Chinese-born athlete explained, “I’ll fight in January, no matter who it is. I’ll make a good show for everyone … He’s a good fighter, but I believe I can beat him … I think it will be a tough fight. He’s hard to finish, but I believe I’ll win.”