With an action-packed UFC event slated for Saturday night, the hopefuls on the Road to UFC took to the cage on Friday at Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai to set the table and delivered a thrilling collection of fights. Seven fights produced the four tournament finale pairings that will take place early next year before a pair of UFC matchups hit the cage, with the returning Maheshate closing things out in thrilling fashion.
If you missed any of the action, get yourself caught up with the recaps below.
Maheshate made the absolute most of his short notice return to the UFC, submitting Darrius Flowers in the first round to close out the action on Friday’s fight card.
The two men began the fight by pawing at one another in space before Flowers initiated the clinch and off-balanced Maheshate to the floor. But as he tried to advance his position, Flowers left his neck exposed and Maheshate pounced, clamping onto an arm-in guillotine choke that left “Beast Mode” panic tapping with both his hand and his foot.
Yilizhati Maimaitijiang rallied to secure a split draw with Tre’ston Vines in his promotional debut on Friday, cranking up the output and intensity down the stretch to force the deadlocked decision.
After a scramble-filled first round where both men had positive moments, Vines seemed to be taking control of the action in the second, spending much of the round working from top position as Maimaitijiang seemed to be wilting. While the third round began similarly to how the second ended, the Chinese debutant found a second wind and cranked up the output, punishing Vines over the final two minutes to make things close.
When the judges’ scorecards were collected, totaled, and read aloud, the middleweights came out in a stalemate, with Maimaitijiang’s efforts late in the third earning him a 10-8 frame on one card, resulting in the draw. This was a solid debut for the Chinese middleweight, who will be interesting to track going forward as he continues to develop.
It took longer than he anticipated, but George Mangos claimed his place in the featherweight finale with a second-round submission win over Ahejiang Ailinuer.
The Australian prospect showcased his grappling acumen throughout, threatening with a pair of triangle chokes in the first round, though Ailinuer did well to fend them off and have some success of his own with the ground-and-pound. But when the duo hit the canvas early in the second, Mangos took complete control, working to the back and attacking the choke, readjusting after nearly drawing out the tap to cinch in the finish and advance.
Now 10-1 as a professional, the 23-year-old showcased his grappling skills and grit here, pushing through a competitive first five minutes to move one step closer to realizing his UFC dreams. Mangos will now face off with Mongolia’s Dagiisuren Changnaadorj, who scored a first-round submission win earlier in the evening, to determine who will become the latest RTU featherweight tournament winner.
The highly anticipated bantamweight semifinal between Rabindra Dhant and Kasib Murdoch turned into a gruelling, competitive battle, with both prospects having positive moments as they went 15 hard minutes against one another in Shanghai.
The judges were tasked with determining the victor and when the scores were totaled, it was Dhant that landed on the happy side of the split decision verdict. Not only was this an historic victory, as Dhant continued his Cinderella run to the finale, but also provided a moment of peace and joy for the people at home in Nepal who are dealing with the impact of terrible flooding.
Meng Bo’s experience and poise ruled the day in her semifinal pairing with Machi Fukuda, as the Chinese veteran dominated in all phases to advance to the strawweight finale.
The 31-fight veteran was patient and measured with her output and activity in the first, picking her spots to pick at Fukuda, who was unable to muster much offense of her own until hitting a hip toss late in the round. The duo spent the second round grappling, with Bo once again getting the better of the interactions, defending well each time Fukuda looked for another throw, with the third playing out in a similar fashion.
When the tens and nines were tallied, it was Bo that came out ahead, registering the split decision win, setting up a clash with South Korea’s BoHyun Park to determine who will follow Shi Ming and become the second female tournament winner on Road to UFC.
Takaya Suzuki showed out in his flyweight tournament semifinal win over Joseph Larcinese, flashing his swift and diverse arsenal of strikes and elite all-around game to claim a spot in the finale.
The speed and variety offered by Suzuki was a sight to behold on Friday, as the 21-year-old from Japan kept Larcinese guessing and unable to get into his own offensive flow as he was constantly faced with a mix of punches, kicks, and knees. Late in the second, Larcinese seemed to roll his ankle when Suzuki landed a left hand that backed him up, and seconds into the final frame, the Australian struggled to remain upright on his injured wheel, with Suzuki sending him out with a heavy kick to the body and quick collection of follow-up blows as Larcinese wilted along the fence.
Suzuki shows all the markings of a future standout in the flyweight division, with excellent size, speed, and a robust arsenal despite his young age. Next up is a showdown with China’s Jiniushiyue, who advanced to the finale with a walkover after his opponent, Takeru Uchida, failed to make weight.
Dagiisuren Chagnaadorj turned in a dominant performance on Friday to claim a spot in the featherweight finale, submitting YoungJae Song in the opening round.
The Mongolian prospect wasted no time closing the distance and changing levels, dragging Song to the canvas straight away and quickly working to the back. From there, Changnaadorj patiently chipped away at South Korea’s “Super Rookie” before attacking the fight-ending choke, slipping his forearm under the chin and securing the tap.
Just an outstanding effort from the surging 26-year-old, who pushed his winning streak to four while joining last year’s flyweight tournament winner Namsrai Batbayar as only the second fighter from Mongolia to advance to an RTU finale.
It took Ryo Tajima much of the first round to find his range and timing, but once he did, the rangy Japanese bantamweight was able to pick apart Chungreng Koren and secure his place in the tournament finale.
The powerful Koren came out strong, as always, looking to press forward behind heavy shots and big movements, with Tajima doing well to avoid anything too damaging while settling into the contest. As things progressed, Tajima’s more precise striking and greater volume continued to lead the action, as Koren looked to slow things down and drag the fight to the canvas, offering minimal offense in doing so.
The judges were called upon to determine the victor, and all three officials saw things similarly, awarding Tajima the unanimous decision victory and a spot in the final pairing, where he’ll meet the winner of the grudge match between Kasib Murdoch and Rabindra Dhant.
Abdueva landed the better blows throughout the first round as the two engaged in a more technical striking battle in space before Park found a takedown late and recognized the opportunity to make things grimy. Leaning on her superior conditioning and grittiness, the South Korean semifinalist took the fight to Abdueva in the second, battering her with strikes and splitting her forehead open late in the frame before continuing to control the action throughout the third.
When the scorecards were collected and totaled, it was Park who came out ahead and claimed the first spot in the strawweight finale, where she will face winner of the bout later today between Meng Bo and Machi Fukuda. This was an excellent showing from the 27-year-old Park, who pushed her winning streak to six and her record to 10-3 overall with the victory over the game Abdueva, who will surely be heard from again.
