China’s own Zhu was a 25-fight veteran and had previously competed on Road to UFC, as well as for ONE Championship. Vera, hailing from Peru, also had over 20 fights on the regional circuit. He’d been circling a spot on the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter, didn’t land a spot, but jumped straight to the UFC anyway.

The two debutants got things started on the feet, with the opening minutes bringing chaos inside the Octagon. Zhu Kangjie threatened early, working behind his jab and bouncing in and out of the pocket as the crowd rallied behind the hometown fighter.

It didn’t take long for Rodrigo Vera to change the momentum. Around the three-minute mark of the first round, Vera caught Zhu with a heavy left hook that badly hurt him. He followed up with clean ground-and-pound shots, eventually securing the knockout victory in his UFC debut.

With the win, Rodrigo Vera improves to 22-1-1 and extends his winning streak to 14 straight. On the other side, Zhu Kangjie drops his promotional debut, falling to 21-5.

Official Result: Rodrigo Vera def. Zhu Kangjie by TKO, Round 1, 1:50

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For three seasons now, the Road to UFC tournament has looked to produce some top talent for the promotion, focusing on rising Asian prospects. Essentially, the series serves as Asia’s answer to Dana White’s Contender Series, and The Ultimate Fighter, sort of a hybrid of both. Tournament format, like TUF, but focused on fighting, with no being cooped up in the TUF house.

Friday night’s Road to UFC installment, episode six, featured semifinal action in the featherweight and women’s strawweight divisions. In addition, a featured fight at welterweight (shifted to a catchweight) would see former Samandar Muradov return to the show for a second time, paired up with Jonathan Peirsma. At weigh-ins, Perisma came in three pounds heavy. That certainly won’t help his chances of signing on with the promotion.

Where to Watch Road to UFC 3 Episode 6

Friday, August 23, 2024 sees the Road to UFC continue at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The full card streams live on UFC Fight Pass. Full results can be found below. The action gets underway at 11PM ET, 8PM PT.

Road to UFC 3 Episode 6 Results

Featherweight Bout: Xie Bin def. Masuto Kawana by KO, Round 1, 4:17 – featherweight semifinal
Women’s Strawweight: Dong Huaxiang vs Ming Shi by split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28) – women’s strawweight semifinal
Featherweight: Zhu Kangjie def. Shin Haraguchi by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) – featherweight semifinal
Women’s Strawweight: Feng Xiaocan def. Miki Motono by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) – women’s strawweight semifinal
Welterweight: Samandar Muradov def. Jonathan Peirsma by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) – featured bout

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On Saturday, May 18, 2024 the Road to UFC Season 3, Episode 1 card kicked off this year’s tournament live from the UFC Performance Institute in Shanghai, China. In action, featherweights and women’s strawweights, with two fights from each division featured, plus a spotlight bout outside of the tournament.

Where to Watch Road to UFC Season 3, Episode 1

Road to UFC 3, Episode 1 takes place at the UFC Performance Institute in Shanghai, China on Saturday, May 18, 2024. The event airs live on UFC Fight Pass; full results can be found below. The action gets underway at 6AM ET, 3AM PT.

Road to UFC Season 3, Ep. 1 Results

Featherweight: Zhu Kangjie def. Tatsuya Ando by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-25) – RTU Season 3 quarterfinal
Featherweight: Shin Haraguchi def. Hong Jun-young by unanimous decision (30-25, 30-27, 30-27) – RTU Season 3 quarterfinal
Women’s Strawweight: Feng Xiaocan def. Kiran Singh by TKO (ground n’ pound), Round 1, 2:03 – RTU Season 3 quarterfinal
Women’s Strawweight: Miki Motono vs. Huang Feier – RTU Season 3 quarterfinal *
Welterweight: Bahatebole Batebolati def. Kim Han-seul by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-29)

* Huang Feier weighed in over the strawweight limit for her fight with Miki Motono. As a result the fight has been cancelled and Motono advances to the next round.

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