SENAPATI, March 27: The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the world’s leading mixed martial arts (MMA) organization, has officially announced the fourth season of ROAD TO UFC, set to take place in Shanghai, China, in May 2025. This highly anticipated tournament provides a crucial opportunity for top MMA fighters from the Asia-Pacific region to step onto the global stage and compete for a coveted UFC contract.
The opening rounds of ROAD TO UFC Season 4 are scheduled for May 22 and 23 at the UFC Performance Institute (PI) in Shanghai. Among the list of emerging fighters are two Indian contenders: Chungreng Koren (Bantamweight) from Manipur and Mridul Saikia (Flyweight) from Assam, both eager to make their mark on one of the biggest platforms in combat sports.
This season will feature 32 fighters competing across four weight divisions—flyweight, bantamweight, featherweight, and lightweight. The event will showcase rising talents from Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Mongolia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, along with competitors from New Zealand.
The ROAD TO UFC series is designed to offer regional fighters an opportunity to break into the international MMA scene. Alongside the tournament bouts, non-tournament events will also be organized to highlight promising talents who may later earn a shot at the UFC. Since its inception, 17 fighters have been signed to the UFC through this tournament—11 winners, 3 runners-up, and 3 non-tournament winners.
Complete List of Fighters for ROAD TO UFC Season 4
Australia
• Sebastian Szalay (Featherweight)
• Dom Mar Fan (Lightweight)
• Jack Becker (Lightweight)
China
• Agulali (Flyweight)
• Yin Shuai (Flyweight)
• Ti Haitao (Bantamweight)
• Sulang Rangbo (Bantamweight)
• Zhejiang Ailinuer (Featherweight)
• Li Kaiwen (Featherweight)
• Ren Yawei (Lightweight)
India
• Mridul Saikia (Flyweight)
• Chungreng Koren (Bantamweight)
Indonesia
• Rio Tirto (Flyweight)
• Deni Daffa (Lightweight)
Singapore
• Sim Kai Xiong (Bantamweight)
Thailand
• Peter Danesoe (Bantamweight)
Vietnam
• Van Y Nghiem (Bantamweight)
Japan
• Kai Yoshida (Flyweight)
• Wataru Yamauchi (Flyweight)
• Rui Imura (Bantamweight)
• Kuya Ito (Bantamweight)
• Jin Aoi (Featherweight)
• Keiichiro Nakamura (Featherweight)
• Dachi Kamiya (Lightweight)
• Yuji Yannick Ephoeviga (Lightweight)
Korea
• Changmin Yoon (Featherweight)
• Donghyun Seo (Featherweight)
• Eohjin Park (Featherweight)
• Jaeyhun Park (Lightweight)
• Sanwook Kim (Lightweight)
Mongolia
• Namsrai Batbayar (Flyweight)
New Zealand
• Aaron Tau (Flyweight)
Anticipation is high as fans await thrilling matchups in this season’s tournament. With such a promising lineup, ROAD TO UFC Season 4 is set to deliver intense action and high-stakes battles, as fighters from the Asia-Pacific region vie for a shot at UFC stardom.
