Bengaluru, September 13: UFC has announced the semifinals round for Road to UFC will be broadcast live on Sunday, October 23, from Abu Dhabi during the weekend of UFC 280: Oliveira vs. Makachev.
Road to UFC is a ground-breaking "win and advance" tournament that takes top MMA prospects from Asia and gives them a pathway to a UFC contract.
The tournament started with eight mixed martial arts athletes competing in each of four men's weight classes: flyweight, bantamweight, featherweight and lightweight.
The athletes in Road to UFC come from Japan, Korea, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, India, and from the UFC Academy in China.
The opening round of Road to UFC was held in June at the Singapore Indoor Stadium ahead of UFC 275: Teixeira vs Prochakza, UFC's first-ever Pay-Per-View event in Southeast Asia. 16 athletes won and advanced to the semifinals to compete in Abu Dhabi.
The semifinals round is divided into two episodes, each of which includes four tournament bouts and one additional non-tournament bout. Details for the Road to UFC finals will be announced at a later date.
The Road to UFC semifinals episodes, bouts and live broadcast times are as follows:
Episode 5: Sunday, October 23 at 3 PM GST (Gulf Standard Time) / 4:30 PM IST
Featherweight: Yi Zha vs Koyomi Matsushima
Flyweight: Qui Lun vs Seung Guk Choi
Lightweight: Won Bin Ki vs Jeka Saragih
Bantamweight: Toshiomi Kazama vs Min Woo Kim
Non-tournament: TBD
Episode 6: Sunday, October 23 at 5 PM GST (Gulf Standard Time) / 6:30 PM IST
Featherweight: Jung Young Lee vs Lu Kai
Bantamweight: Rinya Nakamura vs Shohei Nose
Flyweight: Topnoi Kiwram vs Hyun Sung Park
Lightweight: Anshul Jubli vs Kyung Pyo Kim
Non-tournament: TBD
Road to UFC will air live in Asia primetime (GMT +8) so audiences across the continent can get to know the athletes via in-event features and competitions on the following UFC broadcast partners:
International: UFC Fight Pass
China: MIGU
Hong Kong: NOW SPORTS
India: SONY TEN 2
Indonesia: MOLA
Japan: UFC FightPass
Malaysia: ASTRO SUPERSPORT 5, UNIFI TV, MOLA
Mongolia: SPS
Myanmar: CANAL+
Philippines: TAP GO, PREMIER SPORTS
Singapore: HUB SPORTS, MIO SPORTS, MOLA
South Korea: TVN Sports
Thailand: TRUE SPORTS HD3
Vietnam: K+ SPORTS
UFC returns to Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, October 22, with UFC 280: Oliveira vs Makachev, headlined by a clash for the vacant lightweight championship between Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev.
Plus, the bantamweight division takes center stage, as Aljamain Sterling defends his crown against TJ Dillashaw, and "Sugar" Sean O'Malley steps up for a huge showdown against Petr Yan.
UFC 280: Oliveira vs Makachev will be the latest event held in the UAE capital as part of a landmark partnership forged in 2019 between UFC and the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi).
The prelims for UFC 280: Oliveira vs Makachev will begin at 6 PM GST, followed by the main card at 10 PM GST. Official UFC 280 VIP packages are available through On Location, featuring premium seating, a reserved seat at the ceremonial weigh-ins, all-inclusive in-venue hospitality with UFC Fighter appearances and more.
Source: Press Release