Four Asian MMA Prospects Set To Earn UFC Contracts In February

Four top mixed martial arts (MMA) prospects from Asia will be crowned as “Road To UFC” champions this February.

The promotion announced Thursday, January 12 that the finals of the “Road To UFC” tournament will take place on the preliminary card of the UFC Vegas 65 event, which takes place live at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 4th.

The four winners will be awarded UFC contracts.

It is a culmination of a tourney that began back in June 2022, with 32 competitors from countries such as the Philippines, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea and Thailand.

The last man standing from the flyweight, bantamweight, featherweight and lightweight divisions will get to sign an exclusive deal with the organization.

“Road To UFC has been an amazing success, with stand-out performances from Asia’s hottest prospects, and incredible engagement around the region. These eight finalists will have the opportunity to earn a multi-fight contract, and represent their home countries in the UFC,” said UFC senior vice president Kevin Chang.

The flyweight finals will feature a pair of South Korean rising stars, with Seung Guk Choi taking on the undefeated Hyun Sung Park.

Choi (6-1) defeated Rama Supandhi and Qiulun on his way to the finals. Park (7-0), meanwhile, knocked out Jeremia Siregar and submitted Kiwram to reach the championship round.

In the bantamweight finale, Japanese warriors Toshiomi Kazama and Rinya Nakamura go head-to-head.

Kazama (10-2) defeated Keremuaili Maimaitituoheti to get to this point, while the undefeated Nakamura (6-0) stopped Gugun Gusman and Shohei Nose to earn the spot to vie for the once-in-a-lifetime contract.

In the featherweight bracket, China’s Yi Zha is slated to lock horns with South Korea’s Jeong Yeong Lee.

Yi (21-3) submitted Keisuke Sasu and decisioned Koyomi Matsushima to move an inch closer to a UFC contract, whereas Lee (9-1) made very quick work of Xie Bin and Lu Kai to reach the grand finals.

Finally, in the lightweight division, Indonesia’s Jeka Saragih battles India’s Anshul Jubli.

Saragih (13-2) picked up a pair of knockouts over Pawan Maan Singh and Won Bin Ki to make it to the final dance, while Jubli (6-0) slipped past Kyung Pyo Kim to secure a seat in the championship phase.

UFC Vegas 65 will feature Derrick Lewis testing the mettle of fellow heavyweight powerhouse Serghei Spivac in the main event.

On the other hand, Doo Ho Choi is tasked to slug it out with Kyle Nelson in the featherweight co-headliner.

Also on the card is Da Un Jung, who collides with Devin Clark in a three-round light heavyweight duel.

In addition, Marcin Tybura faces Blagoy Ivanov in a pivotal heavyweight joust.