Road to UFC Season 2 Final Results And Recap: Three Asian Fighters Land UFC Contracts

Road to UFC Season 2 final saw three Asian prospects land contracts with the MMA promotion following their respective wins at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Sunday (February 4).

The RTU season 2 final, which was held after the UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs. Imavov (UFC vegas 85) event, staged clashes in the lightweight, featherweight and flyweight divisions, while the bantamweight final was postponed after injury to one of the fighters.

Rongzhu of China reacts after his submission victory against Shin Haraguchi of Japan during the Road to UFC Season 2 Finals. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

The Asian prospects came through two fights - quarterfinal and semifinal - to enter the final, and all three finals ended in stoppages with one ending in the third round, and two ending inside the first round. Among the 3 stoppages, 2 were submissions and 1 was TKO. Here is a recap of the fights:

Road To UFC Season 2 - Flyweight Finale

China's 23-year old dedicated finisher Jiniushiyue and Japan's decorated national wrestler 21-year old Rei Tsuruya kicked off the finale action. Tsuruya immediately swarmed to clinch and had Ji in deep water on the ground at the end of round one.

Although Ji had never been stopped, Tsuruya was able to get the TKO to strikes on the ground one second before the first bell sounded. With the victory, he remains undefeated and became the first athlete on Season 2 to win a UFC contract.

Following the stoppage, Tsuruya said, "I want to know what a loss is like! I'm totally relieved I got the win. This is the finals, so I knew there was some possibility of going to decision. I'm just happy I got the finish. I got it earlier than I expected."

Road To UFC Season 2 - Featherweight Finale

China's iconic aggressive striker Kaiwen and seasoned, intelligent tactician Yizha had trained together before the tournament started, and had to put that friendship aside when they headed into the finale.

A tactical striking battle started off strong, then transitioned into clinch. Kaiwen took it to the canvas, but Yizha was able to capitalize on the bottom position and snapped on a very quick armbar.

Following the first round tapout, Yizha said, "I said I have the ability to fight in UFC and now I proved it. I said the contract is mine, and now I'm officially a UFC fighter. My brother Kaiwen didn't make weight, but everyone had a really tough road until we got into this Octagon.

"Don't blame him, he's still a very good fighter. Give me a bonus and put us both in UFC! Fight first, friends second. At the end of the day, this is our job. Happy Chinese New Year!"

Road To UFC Season 2 - Lightweight Finale

China's former UFC athlete and strong finisher Rongzhu faced Japan's power wrestler Shin Haraguchi for the last finale of the card. Haraguchi immediately shot and continued that approach even while Rongzhu aimed bombs in bunches.

The fight moved into the second round and Rongzhu's punches mounted up and slowed the takedowns, but Haraguchi showed a chin of granite.

In a fantastic final round, the two went toe-to-toe, with Rongzhu's striking on point, but he just could not knock out a tough Haraguchi, so he hopped on the back and got the finish with a choke.

With the win, Rongzhu said, "I'm back, UFC! It was a hard road to get back, and I knew it might be my last chance to get back to UFC, so I had a lot of pressure.

"I want to thank my team, teammates, coach, and Shanghai PI to help me prepare for the fight. I knew he was a very tough fighter, that if I didn't put him away, he would continue to come forward. I waited so long for this moment, and I really deserve it."

The bantamweight finale between Xiao Long and Changho Lee will take place on a future event. The bout was postponed due to an injury picked up by Long ahead of the RTU Season 2 final card. Here is a look at the full results of RTU season 2 final: