Road To UFC Finalists Set

Road To UFC Season 5 has its finalists. On Friday, August 28, the UFC settled the Asia-Pacific tournament semifinals at Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai. Seven tournament bouts were enough to set four final matchups for early 2027. The sporting point was direct: each winner now sits one victory from a UFC contract.

For the UFC, this was more than a side stage before the Shanghai main event between Umar Nurmagomedov and Song Yadong. Road To UFC works as a scouting lane with an immediate prize attached. The semifinals delivered that mix: quick submissions, close decisions, a stoppage shaped by injury and one flyweight bout removed after a missed weight.

Two chokes shape featherweight

The featherweight final will be George Mangos against Dagiisuren Chagnaadorj. Mangos submitted Ahejiang Ailinuer by rear-naked choke at 2:03 of the second round. He had to work through a competitive opening round before linking ground control, back position and the finish.

Chagnaadorj needed less time against YoungJae Song. The Mongolian brought the fight to the canvas early, worked to the back and finished by rear-naked choke at 2:51 of the first round. That gives the final a clean tactical frame: both finalists won by showing exactly where they want the fight to go.

Suzuki advances, Jiniushiyue waits

At flyweight, Takaya Suzuki reached the final with the quickest tournament ending of the night. The Japanese prospect stopped Joseph Larcinese by TKO 15 seconds into the third round after Larcinese struggled with his foot and could no longer move cleanly along the fence. Suzuki had already dictated the rhythm with speed, kicks and varied entries.

His final opponent, Jiniushiyue, did not compete. Takeru Uchida came in above the flyweight limit, the bout was canceled and Jiniushiyue advanced by walkover. That makes the matchup harder to read: Suzuki enters from a real semifinal win, while Jiniushiyue carries a completed camp without live fight minutes. Rhythm may matter as much as form when the final arrives in early 2027.

Dhant and Tajima work through

The bantamweight final is Rabindra Dhant against Ryo Tajima. Dhant beat Kasib Murdoch by split decision in a competitive fight shaped by Murdoch's technique and grappling against Dhant's explosiveness and heavier moments on the feet. For Nepal, the run is already historic: Dhant is the country's first Road To UFC finalist and is one win from the roster.

Tajima handled Chungreng Koren over the full distance. After a cautious start, the Japanese bantamweight found his range, timing and volume, then took a unanimous decision. The final looks less like a simple hype check than a measured style clash: Dhant's athletic burst and toughness against Tajima's length, precision and patience.

Experience against momentum

At strawweight, BoHyun Park and Meng Bo will meet in the final. Park beat Farida Abdueva by unanimous decision, taking over through pressure, conditioning and stronger work in the later rounds. The South Korean is now 10-3 and, according to the UFC, riding a six-fight winning streak.

Meng Bo brought her experience through against Machi Fukuda. The Chinese veteran managed distance and grappling phases more calmly than her opponent and advanced by split decision. Against Park, she gets a final that is about more than prospect status: Park brings the current surge, Meng brings the deeper professional record and the calm that comes from many different fight shapes.

Maheshate adds the exclamation point

Two official UFC bouts sat alongside the tournaments. Maheshate submitted Darrius Flowers by guillotine choke at 2:31 of the first round in a lightweight bout. Yilizhati Maimaitijiang and Tre'ston Vines fought to a split draw at middleweight. They were outside the Road To UFC brackets, but they gave the card a useful contrast: contracted UFC fighters next to prospects trying to earn that same position.

That is the value of these semifinals. Road To UFC is not an open-ended audition show; it is a tight sporting filter. Shanghai did not create finished stars, but it did create clear final fields. Early next year, those matchups will decide which bids are strong enough to turn regional momentum into a UFC contract.