Following UFC Fight Night 225, the promotion turned its focus to spotlighting rising Asian MMA talent with Road to UFC. The tournament semifinals took place Sunday morning at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore, featuring four weight classes of UFC hopefuls.
The winners of the semifinal bouts advance to the finals which will take place later in 2023 on a date yet to be determined. A UFC contract will be awarded to the winners of the tournament.
The Road to UFC event was split into two fight cards featuring eight tournament bouts and one non-tournament contest.
Road to UFC Episode 5 results include:
- Kaiwen Li def. Kouya Kanda via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) – featherweight semifinal bout
- Jiniushiyue def. Seung Guk Choi via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 20-27) – flyweight semifinal bout
- Yi Zha def. Sang Won Kim via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) – featherweight semifinal bout
- Rei Tsuruya def. Mark Climaco via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-27) – flyweight semifinal bout
- Nyamjargal Tumendemberel def. Peter Danesoe via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:02
Road to UFC Episode 6 results include:
- Shin Haraguchi def. Jae Hyun Park via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) – lightweight semifinal bout
- Chang Ho Lee def. Daermisi Zhawupasi via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 3:35 – bantamweight semifinal bout
- Rong Zhu def. Sang Uk Kim via unanimous decision (30-26, 29-28, 29-28) – lightweight semifinal bout
- Long Xiao def. Shuya Kamikubo via majority decision (29-28, 29-27, 28-28) – bantamweight semifinal bout
The tournament final matchups are now set, with each winner awarded a UFC contract:
- Flyweight: Jiniushiyue vs. Rei Tsuruya
- Bantamweight: Chang Ho Lee vs. Long Xiao
- Featherweight: Kaiwen Li vs. Yi Zha
- Lightweight: Shin Haraguchi vs. Rong Zhu
Check out more details about each fight below.