Thursday in Singapore, the first two episodes of “Road to UFC” were held, kicking off four 8-man tournaments with Asian prospects battling for a shot at the big league.
Eight fighters advanced to the semifinal round of their respective tournaments. Among the standouts on the first day were Chinese featherweight Yi Zha, South Korean lightweight Won Bin Ki, and Indonesian lightweight Jeka Saragih.
Yi came into the fight having dealt with four weeks of strict lockdowns in China. Being isolated for about month hampered his training camp, but he still managed to get a nice rear naked choke victory over Japan’s Keisuke Sasu.