Three more prospects from Asia can now call themselves UFC fighters.
You Su-young, Choi Dong-hun, and Shi Ming captured contracts after winning in the grand finals of the “Road To UFC” tournament on Saturday night in Macau.
The series, which wrapped up its third season this week, provides tournament winners with a spot on the UFC roster. Fighters competing on the show this weekend were appearing after getting through two prior rounds of bracket action since May.
Here are the winners from Saturday night:
Korea’s You Takes Decision Against Jieleyisi
You Su-young won the show’s bantamweight bracket in the featured prelim spot of Saturday’s UFC card, controlling a three-round fight against Baergeng Jieleyisi to win via unanimous decision.
Whether it was through ground control – which You spent a large amount of the first round pursuing – or striking exchanges, You was one step ahead of Jieleyisi throughout the fight. His one-sided success was reflected in how the judges saw the fight, winning all three rounds on a pair of scorecards.
You, the third Korean bantamweight to join UFC’s active roster, entered the finals this week after beating Daermisi Zhawupasi and Shohei Nose earlier this year. The 28-year-old previously has earned wins all around the MMA world, scoring victories in Japanese promotion Pancrase, Kazakhstan-based promotion Naiza FC, and rising Korean brand Black Combat in recent years.
The loss for Jieleyisi ended his second “Road To UFC” run. He previously also competed as part of the promotion’s 2023 bracket, getting eliminated in the opening round by Shuya Kamikubo.
Choi Scores Early Knockout To Win Flyweight Finals
Korea captured the “Road To UFC” flyweight bracket for the second consecutive year, as undefeated prospect Choi Dong-hun won the tournament with a quick win over Kiru Singh Sahota this weekend.
The powerful striking of Choi made it a quick night of work for him, as a hard overhand right from the 25-year-old floored Sahota and ended the bout in half a round.
“I can’t help but to wonder, am I dreaming?” said a taken-aback Choi winning the tournament. “I can’t express into words how I’m feeling right now.”
Choi now joins the UFC roster with a flawless record of nine wins, including his previous tournament wins against Jiniushiyue and Angad Bisht. In Korea, he captured a regional title in Dougle G FC and scored a half-dozen victories since his 2021 pro debut.
Sahota was one of the more experienced fighters appearing in the “Road To UFC” finals this weekend, having first debuted as an amateur fighter back in 2013 and appearing more than two dozen times in the sport. He came into this weekend after getting past Yin Shuai and Ruel Panales in earlier months of the tournament.
Shi Scores Upset Knockout To Become First Strawweight ‘Road To UFC’ Winner
In an upset result, Shi Ming became the first-ever strawweight “Road To UFC” winner with a scary knockout win against Feng Xiaocan.
Shi, who was seen as high as a +300 underdog in some sportsbooks, delivered a third-round head kick knockout which put away Feng just 46 seconds into the round.
Overcoming a significant reach disadvantage against the much taller Feng, Shi put her out cold with a hard head kick to end the fight early in the third round. The finish saved Shi’s chances of joining the UFC roster, as she was trailing two rounds to none on a pair of scorecards prior to the moment.
While the stoppage was huge for Shi, the focus eventually shifted to Feng, who remained on the canvas for numerous minutes following the knockout. She was eventually stretchered out of the cage and transported to a nearby hospital, where the promotion said she was alert and underwent a CT scan.
“I worry about my opponent,” Shi said during her post-fight interview. “I really hope she’s okay. She’s young”
Shi, a former Road FC and WLF prospect, got past Seo Ye-dam and Dong Huaxiang via decision in earlier rounds of the tournament. Much fanfare was made around her backstory this week, as she works full-time as a doctor and claimed her parents aren’t aware of her MMA career.
Feng had a lengthy winning streak broken on Saturday, including victories over Kiran Singh and Miki Motono on previous “Road To UFC” cards.
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