Road To UFC Results & Scorecards | Semi-Finals

After earning a 36-second victory in the opening round, the South Korean scored a rapid finish in the semis as well, stinging Lu Kai with the first shot he threw, stumbling him with a subsequent right hand, and sealed the deal with one more clean shot on the canvas.

A decorated wrestler, Nakamura sent Nose tumbling backwards with the first clean left hand he landed to start the bout and never really allowed his foe back into the fight. He continued to march forward, throwing and landing bombs that clearly had significant impact.

While Nose tried to fire back, Nakamura swarmed him along the fence, pounding out the finish midway through the opening round. With the victory, the 27-year-old advances to 6-0 in his career and a finals appearance opposite fellow Japanese fighter Toshiomi Kazama.

Park was dropped in the early stages of the fight by Top Not Kiwram, whose sharp, quick strikes seemed to catch him off guard. But once the South Korean was able to get inside and initiate a grappling sequence, it was one-sided. He climbed on the back, threatening the choke, and when Kiwram looked to base out and stand, Park laced the arm under the chin, pulled him backwards to the canvas and secured the tap.

Jubli, who advanced to the semis after his opponent missed weight in June, started strong, flashing good hands and timing over the opening five minutes, seemingly stinging Kim a time or two in the first round. The South Korean “Red Horse” rallied back in the second, his constant pressure and power shots appearing to wear on Jubli, before they spent the final five minutes battling tooth-and-nail in the third round; no quarter asked and no quarter given.

The 23-year-old from Tajikistan patiently worked from top position against Gian Siequeira, slowly transitioning to the back and looking to lock up a submission in the closing seconds of the opening round. What started as a neck crank turned into a rear-naked choke as the arm slipped under the chin, leaving Siqueira forced to tap right before the horn.

Each of the three rounds were competitive frames, with Matsushima flashing superior power, while Yi had superior speed and slickness in his attacks. Throughout the contest, whenever one would have success or look to pull ahead, the other would respond, landing a sharp blow of their own or countering in the grappling exchanges, with neither ever gaining clear, sustained dominance.

After feeling each other out for much of the opening stanza, Choi closed the distance and secured a takedown late in the round, quickly scurrying to take the back. He was earlier into the takedowns in the second, again momentarily getting around to the back. The final frame was contested largely on the feet, with Choi pressing forward and his previous grappling work forcing Lun to be more defensive than offensive.

Jeka Saragih landed an absolutely massive right hand on Wonbin Ki that instantly brought their lightweight semifinal bout to a close and propelled the Indonesian fighter into the tournament finals.

Sasu landed a series of short elbows in the opening round that caused a cut and swelling over the right eye of Balajin. In the second, “Sasuke” jumped a pair of guillotines that were unsuccessful, but threatening, and in the third, the Japanese fighter was the fresher of the two, as he continued to attack the fading “Snow Leopard.”