Road to UFC returns in 2023 for its second season, with the UFC set to award a further four UFC contracts to some of Asia’s best Mixed Martial Arts prospects. Find everything you need to know about Road to UFC below.
How Does Road to UFC Work?
Road to UFC is a tournament series held by the UFC, focusing on providing MMA prospects across Asia with a pathway to the UFC. It features four 8-man tournaments across the Flyweight, Bantamweight, Featherweight, and Lightweight divisions, with the winner of each tournament earning a UFC contract.
Road to UFC Season 2 Semifinals Set For Singapore: Fight Card and Start Times
Season 1 began in June 2022, with the quarterfinal rounds taking place on the weekend of UFC 275 in Singapore. Contestants on Season 1 came from various countries across Asia, including China, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and Thailand.
The semifinal rounds took place in Abu Dhabi, UAE, on the weekend of UFC 281, with the finals taking place at UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Spivak. The event was initially scheduled in Seoul, South Korea, in line with Road to UFC’s Asian focus. However, following an injury to planned headliner ‘The Korean Zombie’ Chan Sung Jung, the event occurred in the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Find our preview of some of the best UFC fights to look forward to in June here.
Who Won Road to UFC 1 and Who is Fighting in Road to UFC 2?
The Road to UFC 1 finals took place on 4 February 2023, with all four tournament finals taking place on the UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Spivak preliminary card. The winners were Park Hyun Sung (Flyweight), Rinya Nakamura (Bantamweight), Lee Jeong Yeong (Featherweight), and Anshul Jubli (Lightweight).
With a successful first season, Road to UFC returns for its second season in 2023. Road to UFC Season 2 will feature the same tournament format with some of Asia’s best MMA prospects. The Road to UFC Season 2 competitors are a mix of new prospects and fighters returning from Season 1. There will also be non-tournament bouts featured on each fight card. Find all the results from the opening round bouts below.
Flyweight
- Seung Guk Choi (South Korea) def. Sumit Kumar (India) via Unanimous Decision
- Rei Tsuruya (Japan) def. Ronal Siahaan (Indonesia) via Submission, Round 2
- Ji Niushiyue (China) def. Billy Pasulatan (Indonesia) via TKO, Round 1
- Mark Climaco (Philippines) def. Jung Hyun Lee (South Korea) via Unanimous Decision
Bantamweight
- Daermisi Zhawupasi (China) def. Eperaim Ginting (Indonesia) via Submission, Round 1
- Xiao Long (China) def. Shohei Nose (Japan) via Split Decision
- Chang Ho Lee (South Korea) def. Rana Rudra Pratap Singh (India) via TKO, Round 1
- Shuya Kamikubo (Japan) def. Jieleyisi Baergeng (China) via Split Decision
Featherweight
- Yi Zha (China) def. Abdul Azeem Badakhshi (Afghanistan) via Submission, Round 1
- Li Kaiwen (China) def. Lu Kai (China) via KO, Round 1
- Kouya Kanda (Japan) def. Yibugele (China) via Unanimous Decision
- Sang Won Kim (Korea) def. Keisuke Sasu (Japan) via KO, Round 2
Lightweight
- Batebolati Bahatebole (China) def. Won Bin Ki (South Korea) via Disqualification
- Rong Zhu (China) def. Seong Chan Hong (South Korea) via TKO, Round 1
- Shin Haraguchi (Japan) def. Wendris Patilima (Indonesia) via TKO, Round 2
- Sang-wook Kim (South Korea) def. Kazuma Maruyama (Japan) via Submission, Round 1
Road to UFC Season 2 Semifinals Set For Singapore: Fight Card and Start Times
Where and When Can You Watch Road to UFC Season 2?
The quarterfinal rounds of Road to UFC Season 2 will take place on 27 and 28 May from the UFC Performance Institute Shanghai. The semifinals will take place on August 27 during the UFC Singapore: Holloway vs. The Korean Zombie fight week, with the finals expected to occur on a UFC Fight Night card aimed at Asia.
The opening round will be broadcast in Asian primetime on local UFC broadcast partners. Outside of Asia, the events will be broadcast on UFC Fight Pass. Across Asia, you can find your local broadcaster here.
Everything You Need to Know Before The Ultimate Fighter 31: Team McGregor vs. Team Chandler