
Free Fight
The semifinal event in the Road to UFC tournament touched down at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, picking up where the action left off following the opening series of events in June.
Sunday’s opening slate of fights provided a number of competitive, hard-fought battles and another highlight reel finish for Jeka Saragih, setting high expectations for the second wave semifinal combatants stepping into the Octagon.
And the group did not disappoint.
Here’s a look at what transpired.
Jeong Yeong Lee just doesn’t waste time!
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.
All of this transpired in 42 seconds, sending Lee into the finals, where he’ll face China’s Yi Zha.
Rinya Nakamura put his striking on display in his first-round semifinal win over countryman Shohei Nose.
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.
Just an outstanding effort from the promising Nakamura.
Outstanding rally and victory for Hyungung Park to punch his ticket to the flyweight finals.
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.
That’s back-to-back first-round finishes in the tournament, six consecutive stoppages in total, and seven straight wins to start his career for Park, who will face countryman Seungguk Choi in the finale.
The second lightweight semifinal of the day turned into one of the better fights of the tournament thus far, as Kyeongpyo Kim and Anshul Jubli battled hard for 15 minutes.
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.
Exhausted at the final horn, their fates rested in the hands of the judges, who saw the contest for Jubli. With the victory, the Indian fighter advances to 6-0 overall and will face Jeka Saragih in the lightweight finals.
Buzzer beater from Samandar Murodov to start the show!
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.
Now 8-0 in his career with six finishes, Murodov is a fascinating prospect and someone we could very well see competing in the UFC in the not too distant future.
A wonderful back-and-forth wrapped up the opening set of semifinal fights, as Koyomi Matsushima and Yi Zha paired off in a 15-minute give-and-take in the featherweight division.
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.
The judges were called upon to decide the outcome, and when the round totals were tallied, it was Yi that came out ahead, advancing to the featherweight finals, pushing his record to 21-3 with the victory. This was a hard-fought battle and a very good win for the 25-year-old Chinese fighter.
SeungGuk Choi used his superior grappling abilities and steady pressure to secure a unanimous decision win over Dana White’s Contender Series alum Qiu Lun and punch his ticket to the flyweight finals.
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.
It was a competitive 15-minute affair between two solid prospects, but the South Korean fighter was clearly the superior fighter throughout and rightfully earned the unanimous decision win.
Goodnight Irene!
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.
Just an absolute missile of a right hand to end what had been a competitive back-and-forth striking battle between the two. That’s consecutive highlight reel finishes for the talented, entertaining up-and-comer.
After getting bounced from the featherweight tournament in Singapore, Keisuke Sasu rebounded with a non-tournament victory over Balajin in the opening bout of the day.
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.”
When the scores were tallied, it was a clean sweep of the cards and a return to the win column for Sasu, who moved to 10-2-1 with the emotional victory.