Much like the opening episode of Season 4, the second set of fights on Thursday’s Road to UFC doubleheader delivered the goods in explosive fashion.
In the opening non-tournament bout, Masher Khera maintained his unbeaten record with a unanimous decision win over Aziz Khaydarov before business shifted to the tournament action. Aaron Tau kicked things off with a dominant first-round stoppage win over Rio Tirto before ChangMin Yoon out-hustled Jin Aoi in a competitive featherweight clash.
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From there, Chinese finisher Agulali posted the quickest finish of the season thus far, blowing through Mridul Saki in just 37 second, with returning featherweight Kaiwen closing out the action with a second-round stoppage win over DongHyun Seo.
It’s been an amazing start to the season, and we have all the details on how things played out collected for you below.
Kaiwen booked his ticket to the featherweight semifinals for the second straight time, closing out Episode 2 with a second-round stoppage win over DongHyun Seo.
Following a solid opening round where he lumped up his South Korean adversary, Kaiwen continued to fight patiently and pick his spots early in the second. Just after the midway point of the round, Kaiwen unleashed a right uppercut that caught Seo flush and put him on the canvas, creating the opportunity for the Chinese veteran to secure the finish.
“The Underdog” advanced to the finals on Season 2, losing to compatriot Yizha. He’s now earned three straight wins, and the combination of his experience and finishing abilities make him a favorite in the featherweight tournament going forward.
It did not take long at all for Agulali to punch his ticket to the semifinals of the flyweight tournament.
The 20-year-old Enbo Fight Team representative took the fight to Mridul Saikia, letting loose with his hands straight away and stinging his unbeaten Indian opponent. As Saikia looked to clinch and stem the tide, Agulali disengaged and uncorked more offense, putting Saikai down with a blistering right hand along the fence.
The flyweight tournament has been outstanding so far, and this was the most impressive effort of the bunch. That’s now eight straight wins and eight straight finishes for the fascinating young talent from China, who will face off with Namsrai Batbayar in the next round.
ChangMin Yoon and Jin Aoi paired up to deliver the most competitive bout on the opening day of action on Season 4 of Road to UFC, engaging in a 15-minute back-and-forth in the featherweight tournament.
Yoon controlled the opening half of the fight with his superior volume and quality grappling, chipping away at his Japanese counterpart and looking poised to cruise to a clear victory. But after closing out the second round with a smattering of big shots that registered, Aoi opened the third with more power shots, leading to a final round where each man had their moments.
The judges were called upon to determine the victor, the judges were split, with Yoon earning 30-27 scores from two officials to register the victory and advance in the tournament. This was a quality effort against an experienced foe, and a big win for the talented South Korean.
Aaron Tau made an absolute statement in his opening round bout with Rio Tirto, quickly dismantling the previously unbeaten Indonesian prospect.
Tau wasted no time closing the distance and taking the fight to Tirto, stinging him on the feet before depositing him on the canvas. From there, the City Kickboxing man worked around to the back, and hammered out the first-round finish.
The veteran from New Zealand turned in a game effort last season on Dana White’s Contender Series, dropping a close decision to Elijah Smith at bantamweight. He made the switch to flyweight, scoring a win in his divisional debut in December, and showed here that he’s going to be a dangerous threat in this 125-pound tournament going forward.
Mansher Khera leaned on his superior grappling skills and greater overall experience to control the action against Aziz Khaydarov in the non-tournament opener on the second episode of Road to UFC Season 4.
After a competitive opening round, Khera used a single leg to drag the fight to the canvas early in the second, advancing through a series of improving positions before working to the back and then mount, where he closed the round landing quality damage. While Khaydarov turned up the offense in the final frame as his American counterpart faded, Khera was able to hang tough and navigate his way to the final horn.
When the scorecards were collected and totalled, it was Khera that came away on the positive side of the results, earning a unanimous decision win. With the win, the 33-year-old advanced to 9-0 overall.
Eternal MMA champ Sebastian Szalay closed out the opening episode of Season 4 with a unanimous decision win over former bantamweight tournament competitor Baergeng Jieleyisi.
The Freestyle MMA representative did well to dictate the terms of engagement through the opening two rounds, using his movement and superior striking to keep things standing and keep Jieleyisi from getting inside and bringing the fight to the ground. The returning Chinese competitor was able to get Szalay to the mat in the late stages of the third, but was largely unable to mount any meaningful offense, with the two closing the fight trading blows in the center of the cage.
When the tens and nines were totalled, it was Szalay that came out ahead, securing him a place in the featherweight semifinals later this year. Now 9-1 as a professional and riding an eight-fight winning streak, the Aussie profiles as a well-rounded threat as he advanced to the final four in the 145-pound competition.
After landing on the wrong side of a razor-close decision last season, Yin Shuai took the judges out of the equation in his opening round matchup with Kai Yoshida.
The tensions built between these two in the early stages of the fight as Yoshida landed a pair of accidental low blows that rightfully irritated Yin. They continued trading on the feet throughout the remainder of the frame, with the returning Chinese talent clipping his Japanese counterpart with a clean left hand late in the frame that sent him tumbling to the canvas. From there, Yin piled on the punishment and forced the stoppage.
Yin dropped a close split decision to eventual finalist Kiru Singh Sahota last year, but after getting himself back into the win column last July, he punched his ticket to the semifinals with his 13th career finish here. Just an outstanding left hand and impressive outing overall for the returning hopeful.
Just when it seemed like EoJin Park was starting to build momentum, Keiichiro Nakamura connected with a knee that ended their featherweight tournament bout in a flash.
Following a solid opening round where neither man was able to register any truly significant damage, Nakamura and Park came out looking to up the pace in the second. Park began pressuring Nakamura backwards into the fence, telegraphing a level-change and charging forward, giving the Japanese fighter the opportunity to swiftly raise his left knee to meet him on the way in, catching Park clean and knocking him out.
This was an absolutely gorgeous finish by the streaking Nakamura, who pushed his winning streak to six, with all six victories coming inside the distance. Boasting great size for the division and a ton of charisma, the 26-year-old instantly stamped himself as a serious threat in the featherweight tournament with this performance.
Namsrai Batbayar kicked off the flyweight tournament in impressive fashion, registering a second-round knockout win over Wataru Yamauchi.
The flyweights came out firing in the first round, happy to trade on the feet throughout the opening five minutes, with Batbayar flashing the bigger power of the two. Each man hustled to the center of the Octagon to begin the second, eager to continue trading. After connecting with a right hand that clearly registered, Batbayar followed up with another thudding right that put Yamauchi on the deck, earning the Mongolian hopeful a trip to the semifinals.
Just 24 years old and training under UFC veteran Danaa Batgerel, Batbayar advanced to 8-1 with the victory, pushing his winning streak to four. His only loss came to Season 2 standout Nyamjargal Tumendemberel, and each of his wins have come by stoppage, making Batbayar one to watch as the tournament progresses.
Season 4 of Road to UFC opened with a non-tournament bout in the strawweight division, as undefeated Arisa Matsuda took on returning prospect Feng Xiaocan.
Matsuda was able to get inside and drag the fight to the canvas in the opening stanza, effectively neutralizing the offensive output of the longer, rangier Feng. In the second, the Chinese fighter did a much better job of using her length to land, only for Matsuda to secure another takedown and nearly finish a triangle choke at the end of the round.
Matsuda was once again able to put Feng on the canvas in the third, catching a kick and running her to the canvas. Feng reversed into top position in the final minute, but was unable to author any significant damage before the final horn sounded.
The judges were tasked with determining the victor, and when the scorecards were collected and tallied, it was Matsuda that came out on the favorable side of the split decision verdict. The Japanese fighter advanced to 7-0 with the win, while handing Feng her second consecutive setback under the Road to UFC banner.
