The featured preliminary card bout at UFC Shanghai found Gauge Young and China's Maheshate facing off in a lightweight fight.
Young had come up short on the Contender Series in 2024 but was brought into the UFC following a win on the regional circuit to face Evan Elder in a losing effort on short notice. Maheshate was 2-3 in the UFC overall, and coming off a loss to Niklas Motta.
Maheshate found himself clipped with a head kick by Young just ahead of the midway mark, though going down might have been more of a balance issue than anything, and he was right back up. Moments later, all momentum was halted, with a pair of interruptions and multiple warnings to both men for having their fingers extended. Towards the final minute, Young pursued a takedown, ending up with a close but no cigar situation was Maheshate bounced back up immediately from the attempt. The Chinese fighter then attempted a thrown, and a second, but Young was able to counter those.
Maheshate exploded forward, landing a solid blow to open round two. He flashed a front kick, while Young double pumped his jab and mixed in kicks of his own. The pair traded back and forth through the bulk of the round, each landing several significant blows. Maheshate seemed to be taking over, but in the final minute, Young changed levels and landed a key takedown. With about 45 seconds to work, Young worked from half-guard, moving to mount. Maheshate gave up his back, but he slipped free moments late.
Young pursued a takedown early in the third, but wouldn't land it. Still, the first half of the round found him in control, tying things up along the fence. Maheshate finally broke free with about two minutes left, landing a few solid strikes, stepping in with elbows and lashing out with his right hand. Young tried to get inside on the taller man, and briefly tied things up again. In the final minute, Young popped off a combo while Maheshate shelled up, but the Chinese fighter was unharmed and struck back. He'd try another throw form a clinch, and they'd end the fight there.