Road To UFC
Catch Up On Road To UFC
Season 3 Of Road To UFC Kicks Off This Weekend. Recap What Happened On Season 1 And 2
Season 3 of Road To UFC wraps up this weekend in Macau. The groundbreaking “win and advance” tournament gives the top mixed martial arts talent from across Asia a pathway to a UFC contract and has given a spotlight to several significant talents thus far.
Through two seasons, 11 participants have been awarded UFC contracts, including seven winners from seasons one and two, two finalists from season one and two non-tournament fight winners.
- China: Rongzhu, Yizha, Zhang Mingyang
- India: Anshul Jubli
- Indonesia: Jeka Saragih
- Japan: Rinya Nakamura, Toshiomi Kazama, Rei Tsuruya
- South Korea: JeongYeong Lee, HyunSung Park
- Mongolia: Nyamjargal Tumendemberel
The third edition of the tournament featured men’s flyweight, bantamweight, and featherweight divisions, and for the first time, the women's strawweight division, as well as non-tournament bouts.
The athletes will compete in eight-person brackets with the second and third rounds taking place in locations and venues to be announced and the final rounds featuring on a UFC Fight Night.
Before the Road to UFC finale in Macau, take a look at the alumni who’ve already made their way to the Octagon as official UFC fighters.
Rongzhu
China’s Rongzhu went into Road to UFC Season 2 with redemption on his mind. The 24-year-old lightweight had a trio of UFC bouts in 2021 and 2022, but he went 1-2 and missed weight twice. As he made his way through the tournament, Rongzhu admitted he didn’t handle the opportunity the best and promised to do better should he make it back. Rongzhu made his UFC debut earlier this year, but it didn't go the way he had hoped, losing to Chris Padilla.
Zhang Mingyang
The imposing 25-year-old “Mountain Tiger” dealt with some difficulty going from his non-tournament knockout win over Tuco Tokkos in June 2022 to his UFC debut. After more than a year away, which included two cancelled bouts, he finally made his UFC debut at UFC 298: Volkanovski vs Topuria. Against Brendson Ribeiro, Zhang connected with a furious right hand to earn the first-round stoppage in emphatic and impressive fashion.
Zhang is set to face Ozzy Diaz at UFC Fight Night: Yan vs Figueiredo in Macau.
Anshul Jubli
India’s Anshul Jubli got off to a bright start against Mike Breeden in his UFC debut at UFC 294: Makhachev vs Volkanovski 2. However, the veteran Breeden turned up the pressure in the second and third rounds of the fight after it seemed like Jubli might have the upper hand. It was a learning moment for the 29-year-old, but he showed more than enough reason to believe he will bounce back well from his first professional loss.
Jeka Saragih
Although Jeka Saragih did not win the first rendition of Road to UFC’s lightweight tournament, he showed various reasons why he was a fighter to watch, and it only made sense that he was given an opportunity with the mixed martial arts leader. The 29-year-old striking savant opened his UFC account with a stunning, first-round knockout of Lucas Alexander at UFC Fight Night: Allen vs Craig, which earned him a Performance of the Night bonus as well.
Jeka Saragih Delivers A Powerful KO In Round 1 | UFC Fight Night: Allen vs Craig
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Jeka Saragih Delivers A Powerful KO In Round 1 | UFC Fight Night: Allen vs Craig
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Rinya Nakamura
Japan’s Rinya Nakamura is the most-seasoned alumnus of Road to UFC, having picked up two wins in two fights since winning the bantamweight tournament in season one. Nakamura was one of the standouts during his run in Road to UFC, scoring first-round finishes in each round, including a 33-second knockout win in the final. “Hybrid” has lamented his inability to replicate those finishes in the Octagon thus far, but the undefeated 29-year-old has given plenty for UFC fans to get excited about.
Nakamura picked up his second UFC win earlier this year, defeating Carlos Vera at UFC 298.
JeongYeong Lee
After winning Road to UFC’s inaugural featherweight bracket, South Korea’s JeongYeong Lee tallied his first UFC win via unanimous decision over Blake Bilder to extend his overall winning streak to eight. He, too, was critical of his performance, saying he only reached 50 percent of his potential.
Things didn't work out in Lee's favor in July, as he got knocked out by Hyder Amil in the first round.
HyunSung Park
“Peace of Mind” maintained his undefeated record with a beautiful body shot knockout of Shannon Ross in his debut at UFC Fight Night: Song vs Gutierrez. The 28-year-old flyweight is yet another exciting new entry in the weight class, having finished all but one of his professional victories.
Rei Tsuruya
Rei Tsuruya was the flyweight tournament winner from season two of Road To UFC, and then went on to extend his undefeated record to 10-0 by defeating Carlos Hernandez in his debut earlier this year at UFC 303. The flyweight division is as exciting as ever, with eight of his 10 wins coming by way of finish, he adds to the excitement.
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