Road To UFC Season 2: India’s Anshul Jubli & Korea’s Dong Hyun Ma Pick Lightweight Winners

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The Road To UFC Season 2, scheduled to be held during the weekend of UFC Singapore 2023, will see four lightweights go head to head for a chance to get a step closer towards winning a coveted UFC contract.

Former UFC athlete and finisher Rongzhu from China faces well-rounded Sangwook Kim of South Kore, while power wrestler Shin Haraguchi of Japan faces pressure striker Bahatebole Batebolati of China in the lightweight semi-finals in Singapore on August 27.

The opening round for Season 2 of ROAD TO UFC took place on May 27 and 28 at the UFC Performance Institute Shanghai, where 32 martial arts athletes competed in each of four men's weight classes. In the lightweight division (>70.3kg), four winners advanced to the semifinals:

Before the four face off, other UFC fighters are already keeping a close eye on the tournament, such as UFC lightweight Dong Hyun Ma of South Korea and Season 1 lightweight tournament winner Anshul Jubli of India.

Below, they give their insight and predictions for the lightweight hopefuls who have advanced to the crucial semifinals of Road To UFC Season 2, starting with the Indian Jubli, who also predicts the winner of the final.

Before he made his predictions for the semifinal and the final, Jubli. Who became the second Indian to earn a UFC deal, spoke about the significance of landing a UFC contract and how it has changed his life.

"Road to UFC has changed my life. Every MMA fighter dreams to be in the UFC - going into the UFC through a tournament like this is better than going directly to the UFC: you get the hype behind you before your UFC debut." Jubli was quoted as saying in a release.

"You get recognized in the MMA world, and especially in your own country. This is what happened to me. I have millions of blessings from my countrymen, and in my debut, I am going to fight for all of them."

While many made predictions for the lightweight semifinals at RTU season 2, the Indian Jubli went a step further and picked the favourite to win the contract in season 2.

"I believe Rongzhu and Haraguchi will win in the semifinals. When they meet the finals, I believe Rongzhu will win this tournament," Jubli added.

Meanwhile, the "Maestro" Dong Hyun Ma said the Road To UFC is a good platform for Asian fighters to prove their mettle on the global stage and also spoke how the two lightweight semifinals will end up by picking his favourites.

"I believe Road to UFC is a great opportunity for Asian fighters to prove themselves and impress UFC officials and Asian fans, rather than going straight into UFC. Fans can have a first look at how good Asian fighters will be able to perform in the UFC," Hyun Ma said.

The Korean Ma, who was part of the UFC from 2015 to 2019, decoded the Rongzhu vs Sangwook Kim fight, predicting a win for the Chinese athlete, but added that he will support his compatriot in the fight.

"Rongzhu's striking skills are amazing. I think his impact and timing are the best among the tournament participants. I think he is the number one favorite because he has excellent experience and a big record," Ma said on the first semifinal.

"Sangwook Kim's strengths are grappling and cage control, which improve every fight, and he has good physical strength, so he can make it a hard fight for Rongzhu.

"It would be better for him to aim for a surprise submission when his opponent is tired. I think Rongzhu will win by decision, but I support Sangwook Kim."

In the second semi-final, Ma predicts a stoppage win for the Japanese Haraguchi, who is a good wrestler, but also felt the Chinese opponent in Batebolai will be good on his feet with his striking ability.

"Haraguchi vs Batebolati is a wrestler vs striker fight. I think it's up to Batebolati to stop Haraguchi's tackle. Batebolati's striking is good, but I think Haraguchi will have good timing to try to tackle when Batebolati strikes. Haraguchi will win by TKO (ground & pound)," said Ma.

Like Jubli, Ma too went one step further as he predicted the winner of the final and also said Ronghzu is the favourite, but if the fight goes the distance, Haraguchi stands a chance.

"In the finals, Haraguchi's physique is more suitable for featherweight, so Rongzhu will beat him by KO in the third round. If Haraguchi does win, I think he'll win by decision," Ma added.