Road to UFC turns spotlight on surging Asia talent as new tournament format heads to Singapore
- Las Vegas promotion returns to Singapore next month with a new tournament format that aims to unearth region’s next wave of MMA talent
- The Road to UFC takes place at the Singapore Indoor Stadium ahead of the UFC 275 PPV event
The UFC will unveil a new tournament format when it touches down in Singapore next month for UFC 276, its first pay-per-view event in Asia.
The Las Vegas-based promotion announced 32 fighters from China, Thailand, Japan, Korea and the Philippines will compete for the right to sign a UFC contract in a new series dubbed “Road to UFC”.
The opening round matchups will take place at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on June 9 and June 10 ahead of UFC 275 on June 11. It will be the UFC’s first return to the Lion City since October 2019.
The opening rounds of “Road to UFC” will air on the organisation’s streaming platform UFC Fight Pass and was described by organisers as “the most significant opportunity” for Asia’s top MMA prospects to make it to the world stage.
The four eight-man brackets will be contested at flyweight, bantamweight, featherweight and lightweight. Semi-finals and finals will take place later in the year, and each tournament winner will receive a UFC contract.
UFC has scoured the region for a formidable mix of MMA prospects, including Thai striker and former RIZIN fighter Top Noi, former ONE Championship lightweight contender Xie Bin and Korean lightweight Won Bin Ki.
Chinese lightweight Aili Muratbek will arrive in Singapore riding a nine-fight win streak and will be one of the more seasoned contenders, as will Filipino freestyle fighter Wallen del Rosario.