The Road to UFC Season 4 tournament kicks off this week, and episode three brings bantamweight and lightweight action, plus a featured welterweight bout.
The fourth season of the grand prix-style tournament once again offers a pipeline to the UFC for some of Asia’s up-and-coming fighters. Rinya Nakamura, Rong Zhu, and Hyun Sung Park are among previous winners. This week’s events will be held at the UFC Performance Institute in Shanghai, China, and we’ve scouted them for you!
Bantamweight, Peter Danesoe (8-3) Vs. Sulangrangbo (8-3)
Peter Danesoe
-Good leg kicks
-Nice clinch work
-Good knees
-Good one-two
-Explosive
-Credible wrestling
-Fast starter
-Good ground and pound
-Poor cardio
-Poor TDD
This will mark Danesoe’s third appearance on Road to UFC, but his first as part of the tournament bracket. When I initially scouted him, the main concerns were his takedown defense and cardio. The takedown defense still needs work, and his cardio hasn’t been pushed recently, so that remains an open question.
That said, at just 24 years old, Danesoe has clear upside and continues to show improvement. While he can wrestle and grapple, those skills tend to shine more against lower-level competition. His clinch work is the standout aspect of his game—he’s dangerous with knees from the inside and explosive when throwing them mid-transition.
His striking has also been developing, particularly his use of the one-two and straight punches. Danesoe is an exciting, athletic fighter with a high ceiling—he just needs more reps against solid opposition to keep evolving.
Sulangrangbo
-Good pull counters
-Good movement
-Diverse kickboxing
-Good right hand
-N/A
Sulangrangbo is a bit of a mystery due to the lack of quality tape and weak competition he’s faced. From what’s available, he appears to be a pure striker—technical, composed, and capable of throwing some unorthodox attacks.
His leg dexterity stands out, as he frequently utilizes wheel kicks, ax kicks, hook kicks, and other tricky strikes. However, he’s at his most dangerous when using his hands, particularly his right hand, which he employs effectively both as a lead and a counter.
His best attribute is his ability to move in and out while landing counters, making him a difficult target and a dangerous opponent to rush in on. It’s hard to gauge just how good he truly is, but he’s earned this opportunity—now we’ll get a clearer picture of his potential.
Prediction: Coming into this breakdown, I expected to side with Danesoe, but after analyzing the matchup, that’s not the case. Both fighters are primarily strikers, and while Danesoe has some grappling, I don’t see it being a major factor here.
Danesoe does his best work in the clinch, but securing prolonged exchanges there against the elusive Sulangrangbo will be a challenge. To win, he’d need to either neutralize Sulangrangbo’s movement or land something significant to slow him down.
The key factor is size. Sulangrangbo is the naturally bigger fighter, while Danesoe is moving up from 125 for Road to UFC Season 4. While I see more long-term potential in Danesoe, he’ll be at a disadvantage in terms of physicality, speed, and power. My pick is Sulangrangbo by decision.
