UFC’s annual Asia-focused tournament is coming back in a few weeks.
“Road To UFC” will return for its fourth season soon, kicking off with two nights of tournament action in Shanghai, China on May 22nd and 23rd.
The tournament, which presents single-elimination, eight-fighter brackets with a grand prize of a contract to join the UFC roster, has been a fixture in the promotion’s year-long programming since 2022.
The tournament gives a showcase to some of the more active MMA scenes in Asia, like China, Japan and Korea. But the upcoming season will also feature names from India, Mongolia, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Australia, and New Zealand.
A notable talent in the flyweight bracket is Aaron Tau, a stand-out name from New Zealand who suffered his first pro loss when he appeared on “Dana White’s Contender Series” last September. After losing a one-fight opportunity to get into the UFC, he’ll have to take the long road of a three-bout bracket for a second chance to get onto the roster.
Bantamweight includes a long-time Pancrase vet in Rui Imura, who will be making his first-ever appearance outside of his home promotion in May. The 26-year-old has earned a dozen wins since his 2020 pro debut, including a successful run in their 2020 “Neo Blood Tournament.”
There are many intriguing names appearing in the featherweight bracket: Former ONE talents Yoon Chang-min and Li Kaiwen, plus RIZIN alum and DEEP Impact champ Jin Aoi will all be in action.
The lightweight bracket, which is returning this year to replace the women’s strawweight division, includes names like undefeated 11-fight Japanese fighter Yuji Yannikc Ephoeviga and Pancrase finisher Daichi Kamiya.
Here’s a full list of the competitors. First-round matchups will be unveiled at a later date.
Flyweight: Aaron Tau (9-1, New Zealand), Agulali (12-1, China), Kai Yoshida (6-1, Japan), Mridul Saikia (8-0, India), Namsrai Batbayar (7-1, Mongolia), Rio Tirto (8-0, Indonesia), Wataru Yamauchi (7-1, Japan), Yin Shuai (17-5, China)
Bantamweight: Chungreng Koren (7-1, India), Kuya Ito (17-8-1, Japan), Peter Danesoe (8-3, Thailand), Rui Imura (12-4, Japan), Sim Kai Xiong (6-1, Singapore), Sulang Rangbo (8-3, China), Ti Haitao (16-6, China), Van Y Nghiem (5-1, Vietnam)
Featherweight: Zhejiang Ailinuer (15-3, China), Yoon Chang-min (7-2-1, Korea), Seo Dong-hyun (7-2-1) (Korea), Park Eoh-jin (9-1-1, Korea), Jin Aoi (14-5-1, Japan), Li Kaiwen (14-6, China), Keiichiro Nakamura (5-1, Japan), Sebastian Szalay (8-1) (Australia)
Lightweight: Daichi Kamiya (6-0, Japan), Deni Daffa (6-1, Indonesia), Dom Mar Fan (6-2, Australia), Jack Becker (13-5, Australia), Park Jae-hyun (7-3, Korea), Ren Yawei (8-3, China), Kim Sang-woo (11-3, Korea), Yuji Yannick Ephoeviga (11-0, Japan)
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