Road to UFC
Road to UFC is a recurring mixed martial arts (MMA) event series in which top Asian MMA prospects compete to win contracts with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Overview
[edit ]Structured into "seasons" and "episodes," it features a number of fighter weight divisions—each for which fighters compete in a "win-and-advance" tournament format.[1] Each event in the series, or "episode," features one bout for each division tournament, and one non-tournament bout.[2] [3] [4] The opening quarterfinal round is typically held hosting four events over a two-day span, with two episodes for each day. The semifinal round is held a few months later. Each season culminates with the tournament finals, which take place during preliminary card of a UFC Fight Night event. The tournament winner for each division is awarded a UFC contract.
The "Road to UFC" branding was previously used in 2015 for Road to UFC: Japan, a similar Japan-based tournament awarding a UFC contract, but formatted as a reality competition, and marketed as an Asian-centric analog to The Ultimate Fighter.[2] Despite the reuse of the "Road to UFC" brand, similar Asian MMA focus, and season/episode nomenclature, the UFC has not characterized the newer event series as inclusive of the earlier 2015 reality competition, and has described the 2022 tournament cycle as the "inaugural tournament," referring to it as "Season 1".[5]
Seasons
[edit ]| Name | Start Date | End Date | Venue | Location | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season 3 | May 18, 2024 | UFC Performance Institute Shanghai | Shanghai, China | [6] | |
| UFC Apex | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | ||||
| Season 2 | May 27, 2023 | June 22, 2024 | UFC Performance Institute Shanghai | Shanghai, China | [7] |
| Singapore Indoor Stadium | Kallang, Singapore | ||||
| UFC Apex | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | ||||
| Kingdom Arena | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | ||||
| Season 1 | June 8, 2022 | February 4, 2023 | Singapore Indoor Stadium | Kallang, Singapore | [8] |
| Etihad Arena | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | ||||
| UFC Apex | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. |
Tournament winners
[edit ]| Name | Finale | Division | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Road to UFC Season 1 | Feb 4, 2023 | Lightweight | India Anshul Jubli | Indonesia Jeka Saragih |
| Featherweight | South Korea Lee Jeong-yeong | China Yi Zha | ||
| Bantamweight | Japan Rinya Nakamura | Japan Toshiomi Kazama | ||
| Flyweight | South Korea Park Hyun-sung | South Korea Choi Seung-guk | ||
| Road to UFC Season 2 | Feb 3, 2024 | Lightweight | China Rong Zhu | Japan Shin Haraguchi |
| Featherweight | China Yi Zha | China Li Kaiwen | ||
| Flyweight | Japan Rei Tsuruya | China Ji Niushiyue | ||
| Jun 22, 2024 | Bantamweight | South Korea Lee Chang-ho | China Xiao Long | |
| Road to UFC Season 3 | Nov 23, 2024 | Bantamweight | South Korea You Su-young | China Baergeng Jieleyisi |
| Flyweight | South Korea Choi Dong-hun | England Kiru Singh Sahota | ||
| Women's Strawweight | China Shi Ming | China Feng Xiaocan | ||
| TBD | Featherweight | China | China |
References
[edit ]- ^ See single-elimination tournament.
- ^ a b Pettry, Jay (22 April 2022). "UFC Launching 'Road to UFC' Tourney in Singapore, Featuring 4 Brackets in June". Sherdog. Retrieved 2022年05月03日.
- ^ "ROAD TO UFC Opening Round Bouts Announced | Taiwan News | 2022年05月23日 10:00:00". Taiwan News. 2022年05月23日. Retrieved 2022年05月23日.
- ^ Tabuena, Anton (2022年05月23日). "Road to UFC: Four Asian tournament brackets, non-tournament bouts finalized". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2022年05月23日.
- ^ "Road To UFC Returns For Season 2 With Opening Round On May 27 & 28 | UFC". www.ufc.com. 2023年02月27日. Retrieved 2023年07月16日.
- ^ Anderson, Jay (23 April 2024). "Road to UFC Season 3 Tournament Announced, Women's Strawweight Added". Cageside Press. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
- ^ "Road To UFC Season 2 Kicked Off With Intense Quarterfinals". International Business Times. 2023年05月28日. Retrieved 2023年07月16日.
- ^ Cox, Susan (2022年04月22日). "The UFC officially announce the "Road to the UFC" Tournament in Singapore leading up to UFC 275". | BJPenn.com. Retrieved 2022年04月25日.
