ROAD TO UFC is a ground-breaking “win and advance” tournament designed to discover top MMA prospects from Asia and provide them with a pathway to a UFC contract. This event series features four divisions-flyweight, bantamweight, featherweight, and, notably, women's strawweight (replacing lightweight)-each for which eight fighters compete in a tournament format.
The tournament winner of each division is awarded a UFC contract. To provide additional opportunities for top MMA prospects in Asia, there will also be four non-tournament bouts.
Each round of ROAD TO UFC Season 3 will take place in front of a live audience, with location and venue details announced in advance of each event.
Season 3 Highlights and Key Moments
The inaugural quarterfinal stage of the tournament took place over two days, May 18-19, 2024, at the UFC Performance Institute Shanghai, with two five-bout events for each day for a total of 10 bouts per day. The semifinals were held at the UFC Apex facility on August 23, 2024.
Here's a look at some of the standout performances and key moments from the competition:
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- Jieleyisi vs. Li: Jieleiyisi worked to put Li on the canvas throughout the contest, knowing that he had a distinct advantage there. This was an outstanding performance from the Road to UFC veteran, who picked up his third straight win since suffering a split decision loss in the competition last season.
- Xie vs. Kawana: Xie actually got dropped himself in the early moments of the contest, catching an overhand right that put him on the canvas. But he steadied himself and cleared the cobwebs before putting a right hand on the jaw of Kawana that sent him collapsing forward to all fours. Just a stunning finish for the 26-year-old “Stalker,” who came up short on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021 and lost in the opening round of the first Road to UFC tournament in 2022.
- Feng vs. Motono: Using her length advantage and superior striking, Feng battered the lead leg of Motono throughout, backing it up with long punches while dealing with the takedown attempts from her Japanese foe with ease. Just 22 years old, Feng has now earned eight consecutive victories and is one more win away from securing the opportunity to compete inside the UFC Octagon.
- Kanjie vs. Haraguchi: Kanjie was the superior striker in space and landed quality attacks when defending along the fence as well, while Haraguchi utilized his smothering, unrelenting grappling attack to wear down the Chinese finisher. When the tens and nines were added up, it was Kanjie that landed on the happy side of the scores, advancing to the featherweight finals in Macau later this year.
- Bisht vs. Choi: Bisht started exceptionally well, cracking Choi with a right hand that caused his nose to instantly begin leaking claret. Almanza came out looking to initiate the action, but the strength and power of Bisht was simply too much for the 20-year-old Filipino. Bisht has now won five straight, with each of the last four coming inside the distance.
- You vs. Zhawupasi: Each man had positive moments in each round, but You was slightly more effective of the two, leaning into his grappling to drag Zhawupasi to the canvas. For the third consecutive fight, the judges were called upon to determine a winner, but this time, they were split in how they saw things, awarding You the split decision win.
- Saika vs. Ki: In the opening seconds of the fight, it was Saika taking the fight to Ki, swarming the returning South Korean fighter. But after the two gathered their energy in the clinch and separated late in the first, the dynamic shifted, with Ki landing the cleaner blows as Saika faded. Ki has appeared on all three seasons of Road to UFC, with all four fights ending inside the distance.
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Additional Bouts and Performances
Several other fights showcased the depth of talent in the Road to UFC Season 3 tournament:
- You vs. Nose: You was a step ahead of Nose in the majority of the scramble situations in the first two rounds, finding his way to favorable positions and controlling the entanglements. The judges were tasked with determining the victor, and when the scorecards were added up, it was You that emerged victorious.
- Yan vs. McCormack: The former Dana White’s Contender Series contestant Yan was the more effective of the two in the opening stanza, using her superior physicality to get the better of the exchanges with her Irish foe, who typically competes at strawweight. When the scores were added up, it was McCormack that came away with the unanimous decision victory, securing her fourth consecutive victory.
- Almanza vs. Bisht: Almanza came out looking to initiate the action, but the strength and power of Bisht was simply too much for the 20-year-old Filipino. Bisht has now won five straight, with each of the last four coming inside the distance.
- Ozaki vs. Zhawupasi: The 22-year-old Ozaki opened with a right hand that stung Zhawupasi and showed good footwork and movement in the early stages. All three judges scored the fight in favor of Zhawupasi, who lost in the semifinals of the bantamweight tournament last year.
- Yin vs. Singh Sahota: Yin leaned on his wrestling in the early stages, using his ability to close the distance and put Singh Sahota on the canvas to stem the tide when the striking exchanges weren’t going his way.
The Finals
The finals took place at UFC Fight Night. These final matchups determined who would be awarded a coveted UFC contract.
The event series features 32 mixed martial arts athletes competing in each of four weight classes: men’s flyweight, bantamweight, and featherweight divisions, and for the first time, the women's strawweight division.
This coming weekend, 40 of Asia’s most talented MMA prospects will step into the Octagon at the UFC Performance Institute Shanghai to begin a journey that could make a dream come true.
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