Road To UFC Results & Scorecards | Season 3: Episodes 3 & 4

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. While Saika survived the barrage at the end of the first, Ki wasted no time getting back on the offensive and dispatching his Japanese foe early in the second.

Ki has appeared on all three seasons of Road to UFC, with all four fights ending inside the distance. After losing by disqualification last year, “The Danger” gets himself back into the win column here, picking up his 18th career victory in the process.

The two young talents spent the majority of the contest trading at range, each flashing speed and solid variety, with neither managing to create moments of sustained success or dominance. It was largely a back-and-forth affair with Choi doing more work targeting the head and legs, and Jiniushiyue working the body.

It went the distance and when the tens and nines were added up, it was Choi that emerged on the happy side of the split decision verdict, maintaining his unbeaten record and advancing to the semifinals.

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. Nose was the more aggressive and effective of the two men in the final round, but just as he started building momentum, You landed in top position, grinding out the remainder of the frame there.

The judges were tasked with determining the victor, and when the scorecards were added up, it was You that emerged victorious. With the win, the 28-year-old advances to the semifinals, where he awaits the winner of this episode’s featured bout.

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 forced Almanza to the canvas, worked his way to a crucifix position, and began unloading a torrent of strikes, ultimately securing the stoppage.

Bisht has now won five straight, with each of the last four coming inside the distance. He advances to the next round, where he will face off with unbeaten South Korean Donghun Choi.

The 22-year-old Ozaki opened with a right hand that stung Zhawupasi and showed good footwork and movement in the early stages. But once the Chinese fighter was able to close the distance and collect Ozaki, Zhawupasi was able to dictate the terms of engagement.

All three judges scored the fight in favor of Zhawupasi, who lost in the semifinals of the bantamweight tournament last year. He’s back through to the final four this year, where he will face off with SuYoung You.

Yan, who lost to ascending flyweight Karine Silva on Season 5 of the annual talent-search series, was the more powerful, more aggressive of the two on Sunday, pressing the action and repeatedly forcing the action to the canvas. While Kyriacou had positive moments when standing, Yan was frequently able to  stifle her momentum by getting her hands on the Australian and putting her on the deck.

The judges were tasked with determining the victor, and two of the three officials saw the fight in favor of Yan, awarding her all three rounds and the split decision victory.

While the two started off trading at range, Nakanishi ultimately turned to the takedown and put Kim on the canvas, controlling the remainder of the round. Over the next two frames, he heeded the advice of his corner and initiated the wrestling earlier, working to dominant positions and shutting down any offensive hopes of his South Korean opponent.

Although not the most dynamic performance of the competition, the 27-year-old Nakanishi was effective with his grappling and extended his winning streak to seven while punching his ticket to the next round.

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. As the fight progressed, however, Singh Sahota did well to work back to his feet quickly and get the better of the striking exchanges, landing the more telling blows and forcing Yin to continually look to change levels and keep the fight on the canvas.

When the scorecards were added up, it was Singh Sahota that landed on the happy side of the split decision verdict, advancing to the semifinals later this year, where he’ll face Ruel Panales, who earned a walkover when his opponent, Toki Matsui, missed weight.

Throughout the contest, Jieleiyisi worked to put Li on the canvas, knowing that he had a distinct advantage on the canvas. In the second round, Jieleiyisi dragged Li to the ground early and dominated from there, flowing through dominant positions before landing on the back and lacing up the fight-ending choke late in the frame.

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. He’ll now face Tokitaki Nakanishi in the semifinals.