Tag: Road to UFC

Road to UFC semifinal results: See who advanced to compete for a UFC contract

Check out the results of Road to UFC semifinals in Singapore, and who will be competing for a UFC contract in the finals later this year.

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.

Road to UFC’s Rinya Nakamura aims to ‘revitalize Japanese MMA community’

Japan’s Rinya Nakamura hopes to get more eyes back on MMA in his home country through Road to UFC.

SINGAPORE – Bantamweight UFC hopeful [autotag]Rinya Nakamura[/autotag] turned some heads with his impressive performance in the opening round of Road to UFC, but hopes the next round and beyond will continue to elevate interest in his home country.

At Episode 3 of “Road to UFC” on Friday, Nakamura (5-0) tapped Gugun Gusman in the first round with a deep keylock that looked extremely painful and could have potentially caused damage.

“He might have sprained his shoulder, but I didn’t hear a sound,” Nakamura said in English during the post-fight news conference.

The win keeps Nakamura’s record unblemished and sets up a semifinal matchup against fellow countryman Kazama Toshiomi in a bout that he hopes will get the Japanese fanbase energized.

“I’m excited this is going to be a Japanese vs. Japanese fighter,” Nakamura told reporters through an interpreter during the post-fight news conference. “This is a good chance to revitalize the Japanese MMA community, so I’m really excited about that also.”

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Depending on how the other semifinal matchup goes, there is potential for an all-Japan final in the bantamweight tournament bracket if Shohei Nose defeats South Korea’s Kim Min Woo. Japan also has a featherweight representative alive in the tournament as well, with Koyomi Matsushima set to face China’s Yi Zha in the semifinal.

Check out Nakamura’s full post-fight interview in the video above.

UFC hopeful Top Noi Kiwram confirms smoking cigarettes before fights: ‘Why don’t you do some bad things?’

The passion for nicotine and tobacco seemingly knows no end for one “Road to UFC” prospect.

Young and up-and-coming fighters hear it all the time.

“Do something different to make yourself stick out in people’s minds.”

UFC hopeful [autotag]Top Noi Kiwram[/autotag] presented a memorable first impression to a wider audience, and he did so with the use of an unusual mechanism: cigarettes.

During the “Road to UFC” broadcast Friday, the commentary team mentioned how Kiwram (8-3) is an avid smoker, who even does so right before fights.

Was this true? Is it possible that a professional athlete with the cardio to win a three-round unanimous decision over Yuma Horiuchi (9-5) as Kiwram did Friday capable of hacking darts moments before and after a fight?

Of course, it’s true, clarified Kiwram.

“Sure (I smoke before fights),” Kiwram said. “Every day, bro. Yeah, yeah. This is real, bro. Why don’t you smoke cigarettes? Why don’t you do some bad things? Why? You have 20-or-something years in life? You do something bad, then you go fight? … Why you care? Who cares?”

If smoking cigarettes is the pre-fight ritual, then what’s the post-fight celebration? The nicotine party never ends.

“Now, I have a cigarette with coach,” Kiwram said. “Just, I finished. What about this? I have cigarette now.”

While he sounds like a mean smoker, Kiwram is also pretty good at fighting. He’s won eight of his most recent 10 bouts, including back-to-back fights as he advanced to the “Road to UFC” flyweight semifinals Friday at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore.

Get to know more about Top Noi Kiwram in the video above, or check him out in his element in the photo below.

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