Ahead of UFC Macau, Road to UFC Season 5 debuts, with the first batch of fights taking place on Thursday, May 28.

This year, flyweight, bantamweight, featherweight, and women’s strawweights are set to fight in the win-or-go home format, with quarterfinal action kicking off the three-round tournament.

Also featured on the first of two Road to UFC cards this week, Zhu Rong, taking on Victor Martinez. At Wednesday’s weigh-in, Martinez missed weight, coming in at 158lbs.

Where to Watch Road to UFC Macau

The Road to UFC Season 5 tournament kicks off on Thursday, May 28, 2026 at the Galaxy Arena in Macau, China. The event streams live on UFC Fight Pass starting at 6AM ET, 3AM PT. Full results from the card can be found below.

Road to UFC Season 5: Macau Results

Zhu Rong def. Victor Martinez by TKO (punches), Round 1, 1:10
Xie Bin def. Yudi Cahyadi by TKO (punches), Round 1, 2:05
George Mangos def. Yuito Yanagawa by TKO (knee and punches), Round 1, 3:19 – featherweight quarterfinal
Ahejiang Ailinuer def. Lim Gwan-woo by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) – featherweight quarterfinal
Kasib Murdoch def. Yunosuke Minami by submission (arm-triangle choke), Round 3, 3:46 – bantamweight quarterfinal
Dagiisuren Chagnaadorj def. Regezhen by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) – featherweight quarterfinal
Rabindra Dhant def. Kimbert Alintozon by TKO (ground n’ pound), Round 2, 4:37 – bantamweight quarterfinal
Ryo Tajima def. Ti Haitao by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) – bantamweight quarterfinal
Song Young-jae def. Jin Aoi by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 3:39 – featherweight quarterfinal
Chungreng Koren def Ryuho Miyaguchi by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 4:00 – bantamweight quarterfinal

The post Road to UFC Season 5: Macau Day 1 Full Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

That odd man turned out to be Gabriel Santos, who submitted Jack Jenkins in the night’s featured prelim. Instead, Tallison Teixeira and Quillan Salkilld earned performance bonuses for some big finishes on Saturday. Both men were making their promotional debuts, and both did so with quick finishes. In the first fight of the night, Salkilld landed a right hand that put down India’s Anshul Jubli. The lightweight fight was over in just 19 seconds, the second-fasted debut in UFC 155lb history.

Tallison Teixeira took just a little bit longer, 35 seconds, to put away Justin Tafa. That debut on the main card saw Tafa go down off a knee to the body and elbows.

Fight of the Night honors went to the debuting Kody Steele and Rong Zhu. On his second stint with the UFC, Road to UFC alum Zhu entered coming off a loss and badly in need of a win. He got just that in an active scrap that saw him almost finish Steele in the opening round.

All four bonus-winning fighters at UFC 312 will pick up $50,000 on top of their purse, outfitting pay etc. UFC CEO and President Dana White announced an attendance of 18,253 at the Qudos Bank Arena, for an Australian indoor record gate of $7.7 million.

The post Salkilld, Teixeira, Zhu vs. Steele Get Bonuses at UFC 312 appeared first on Cageside Press.

He got just that – a big win – at UFC 312 on Saturday, in a fight that started out slow but turned into a slobber-knocker opposite the debuting Kody Steele. Evidence of that was written all over Zhu’s face backstage at the Qudos Bank Arena on Saturday, although he told media outlets including Cageside Press that things were “in general, all good” when it came to injury.

As for the match-up on Saturday, well, Zhu could not have asked for anything more. The pair had trained together previously, and their styles turned out to bring out the best in each other.

“I know Kody pretty well. Although he’s a grappler, I know he’s a brawler. So this type of match-up is what I expected. In my previous UFC fights, all my opponents, they are kind of running away from me, trying to win by points, trying to grapple with me. This fight, Kody, he’s the ideal opponent for me.”

Zhu Rong improved to 26-6 with the unanimous decision victory, and served up the first loss of Steeles career. And while he couldn’t find the finish (certainly not for lack of effort, as he had Steele on skates in the opening round), Zhu had actually come in wanting to go the full 15 minutes.

“To be honest, before this fight, I hoped this fight I could fight the whole three rounds. Because I do believe I can learn a lot through the fights,” he explained. “Of course this is not an easy fight, it’s a really hard fight, but I can tell you that my training camp at CKB [City Kickboxing], every day training is ten times harder than this.”

Asked whether the high-octane fight will help draw extra eyeballs to his next outing, Zhu said simply, “of course.”

Watch the full UFC 312 post-fight appearance by Zhu Rong above.

The post UFC 312: Zhu Rong Says Kody Steele Was “Ideal Opponent” appeared first on Cageside Press.

Zhu was on his second stint with the UFC, and coming off a loss in his return fight that had seen him suffer a doctor’s stoppage TKO loss against Chris Padilla.

The third fight of the evening came with a slowish start as both men were inching forward with jabs and leg kicks. The crowd, frustrated with the lack of action, let their displeasure be known, which apparently forced Steele to shoot. While he got the takedown, Zhu rolled and escaped to the feet. Steele was throwing the hooks really not picking his spots. Zhu was throwing better straights but was obliging to trading in the pocket. A huge right hand landed from Steele; that got a reaction from Zhu. Zhu responded with a huge left hand putting Steele on skates for a second. Zhu chased a finish and Steele was hurt but throwing back. Throwing back heavy too as they swung it out to the bell.

Round two saw the action picked back up with Zhu dropping Steele with a power jab. Zhu jumped on top but Steele still aware and threatened a leg lock to get to his feet. Both guys were swinging for the fences when they let go. A lot of punches were whiffing but what was landing was creating tense moments. Zhu was finding his range beating Steele to the punch as the faster striker. Zhu was doing a great job of following up his punches missing on one but landing on the follow-up. Steele was doing too much loading up not finding the success he was early in the fight.

Into the final round they quickly fired in the pocket trading punches. Zhu was sticking Steele with the jab. Steele would throw power hooks but was getting beat by everything coming in a straight line by Zhu. Steele badly needing to mix up; he did land a beautiful combination to the body. What Zhu did so well was find his range, and he was throwing in combinations and started to kick the lead leg as well. He got more momentum as the fight went on and didn’t seem bothered by Steele’s power. In the final minute Steele was swinging for the fences. Kody Steele was clearly wanting a brawl at the end and Zhu obliged in the final seconds. Risky but his chin held up and so did Steele’s as he took a lot of damage.

It was China’s Zhu Rong getting the win in the end of what turned out to be an entertaining slugfest.

Official Result: Zhu Rong def. Kody Steele by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

The post UFC 312: Zhu Rong Lights Up Kody Steele In Prelim Battle appeared first on Cageside Press.

Unfortunately, due to an injury to Xiao Long, the bantamweight finale featuring Long against Chang Ho Lee has been postponed. A new date has yet to be announced by the promotion.

In the meantime, the other three tournament finals were set to go down on Feb. 3, 2024 at the UFC Apex, following the UFC Vegas 85 Fight Night card. Those finals included one existing UFC alum, Zhu Rong, who was looking to reclaim a spot in the promotion after being released by the company in 2022 after posting a 1-2 record.

Unlike The Ultimate Fighter, all of the Road to UFC 2 fights count as professional MMA contests on the athletes’ records. The 8-man tournament has featured some of the top talents in Asia looking to break into the UFC.

Where to Watch Road to UFC 2

The tournament wraps up on Saturday, February 3, 2024 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event streams live on UFC Fight Pass kicking off at 11:30PM ET, 8:30PM PT. Full results from the card can be found below.

Road to UFC 2 Final Results

Yi Zha def. Li Kai Wen via R1 SUB (Arm Bar), 3:03 — featherweight final
Rei Tsuruya def. Ji Niushiyue via R1 TKO, 4:59 — flyweight final
Rong Zhu def. Shin Haraguchi via R3 SUB (RNC)3:06 — lightweight final

The post Road to UFC 2 Final Full Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

Who will make the final round? Read on! Road to UFC 2 Episode 6 takes place Sunday, August 27, 2023 airing at 6PM ET on UFC Fight Pass.

Lightweight, Bahatebole Batebolati Vs. Haraguchi Shin

Tale of the Tape

Pros and Cons

Prediction: Batebolati is only in this fight because he won by DQ. I will say he did look better than I was expecting. Saying that, he’s still a low-level fighter with not much to offer.

Shin got a layup in the first round and is getting another one here. Batebolati has poor takedown defense and that’s a nightmare to have again Shin. I would be surprised if Batebolati lasted a full five minutes.

The post Road to UFC 2: Episode 6 Breakdown and Predictions appeared first on Cageside Press.

On Saturday, episodes 1 and 2 featured flyweight and featherweight quarterfinal action, and produced some exhilarating results — including a very Matt Brown-like elbow KO by former ONE Championship tournament winner Li Kaiwen.

Would we get similar results on Sunday, with familiar names like former UFC fighter Zhu Rong in action at Road to UFC 2, along with Japanese standouts Kazuma Maruyama and Shohei Nose?

Episode 3 found Rong, still just 23, looking to win his way back into the promotion after going 1-2 inside the octagon in a three fight stint from 2021-22. Rong had bounced back with a win over Felipe Maia at UAE Warriors 34 last year.

Road to UFC 2: Episode 3 is available to stream live on UFC Fight Pass kicking off at 6AM ET on Saturday, May 28, 2023. Full results from the card can be found below.

Road to UFC 2, Episode 3 Results

Lightweight Tournament Bout: Rong Zhu def. Seong Chan Hong by TKO, Round 1, 2:17
Bantamweight Tournament Bout: Shuya Kamikubo def. Baergeng Jieleyisi by split decision  (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
Lightweight Tournament Bout: Sang Wook Kim def. Kazuma Maruyama by submission (D’arce choke), Round 1, 3:08
Bantamweight Tournament Bout: Xiao Long def. Shohei Nose by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Welterweight Bout: Sang Hoon Yoon def. Chris Hofmann by TKO (knee and punches) Round 3, 3:10

The post Road to UFC 2: Episode 3 Full Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

Later this month, the Road to UFC tournament returns for its second instalment. Featuring top up-and-coming talents out of Asia looking to make their way to the UFC, Road to UFC 2 will once again include fighters across four weight classes, from flyweight to lightweight, competing in an eight-man tournament to secure a coveted spot in the UFC.

Episode 3 of the opening round goes down Saturday, May 28 starting at 6AM ET on UFC Fight Pass, and we’ve got a look at what to expect!

Lightweight, Zhu Rong Vs. Hong Sung Chan

Tale of the Tape

Pros and Cons

Prediction: I won’t go too much into Rong since he’s had his chance in the UFC. This is a clear striker versus grappler match-up. Rong can wrestle/grapple but has a big advantage on the feet. This fight depends on how frequently Chan can take Rong down.

In the UFC Rong had good TDD but it was poor prior to that. Also, Rong didn’t fight a wrestler in the UFC. Still, I’m more excited for Rong. He’s younger and has a better skillset to develop into the future. I can see Chan just wrestling Rong but I think the gap on the feet is too wide. I see Rong putting hands on Chan for an eventual finish.

The post Road to UFC 2: Episode 3 Breakdown and Predictions appeared first on Cageside Press.

Both fighters were coming off single wins, but Bahamondes had turned heads with his wheel kick stoppage of Roosevelt Roberts.

In the end, Bahamondes would find the finish — but it wasn’t a knockout this time around.

Bahamondes worked his jab and kicks early in the first round, while Rong held center, looking to counter. Stance switches from Bahamondes kept things interesting, but Rong managed to find an opening for his left hand. Towards the end of the round, Rong looked for a takedown, but Bahamondes turned the tables, getting on top firing elbows and looking for a guillotine. Rong’s corner, meanwhile, screamed directions as he tried to work back to the feet — only to be greeted with a knee to the body at the buzzer.

Through the first five minutes, it was the volume of Ignacio Bahamondes that made all the difference.

Over 50 strikes landed in that second round for @JaulaBahamondes 😳 #UFCVegas49 pic.twitter.com/Y2tIIYfZRU

— UFC (@ufc) February 26, 2022

Rong Zhu put the pressure on early in round two, backing Bahamondes back up to the fence, finally letting his hands get going. Chile’s Bahamondes then fired a kick that split the guard and forced Rong to halt his forward momentum. In general, the second frame was a more active round for Rong, who began working the body with his right hand. He continued to back Bahamondes up later in the round, but it was Ignacio Bahamondes who had the edge in activity — while his stance switches and kicks continued to give Rong fits.

The third round found the pair going to the ground early, with Rong changing levels for the takedown only the be reversed — and once again, Rong Zhu was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Bahamondes got in control, as he had in the first, and this time, he locked up the choke.

Official Result: Ignacio Bahamondes def. Rong Zhu by submission (guillotine choke), Round 3, 1:40

The post UFC Vegas 49: Ignacio Bahamondes Picks Up First Submission Win, Taps Zhu Rong appeared first on Cageside Press.

Jenkins was set to make his octagon debut against Zhu Rong in place of Dakota Bush, who was forced to withdraw due to COVID-19. Adding a twist, Rong missed weight for the fight on Friday, while the late replacement Jenkins, a PFL veteran, hit the mark.

The two were trading leg kicks to start the fight and going shot for shot between the two. Rong was landing the heavier kicks but Jenkins was timing him well with his hands. Rong landed a clean right hand that got the attention of Jenkins. Jenkins threw a sloppy spinning kick and Rond counted with a right hand dropping Jenkins. Jenkins got right back to his feet but right back down he went. Rong got into mount briefly but Jenkins defended well. Rong landed some good ground and pound and a good elbow as Jenkins got back to his feet at the bell.

Went for the spin, but met with a hook 😱 #UFCVegas37 pic.twitter.com/y4F5y0Z5kk

— UFC (@ufc) September 18, 2021

Jenkins came out aggressive in round two. The aggression made Rong fire back even harder and he took Jenkins right back down. Rong controlled the nearly whole round two keeping Jenkins grounded. He won every scramble and got the mount twice briefly. Jenkins finally got back to his feet with under a minute left. Rong ended the round landing big shots as both were just throwing caution to the wind.

Punches in bunches! 👊

Watch out 🇨🇳 @RongzhuM is swinging heavy. #UFCVegas37 pic.twitter.com/3Ni6fMiV3z

— UFC (@ufc) September 18, 2021

Forward pressure from Rong in the final round. Rong landing the jab and the bigger shots but Jenkins did a good job firing back. Jenkins threw another sloppy spinning attack and slipped to the mat letting Rong get on top. Rong continued to try and take the back but Jenkins wasn’t letting it happen. Jenkins got back to his feet but only briefly before he was torn back down. Rong landed some nasty ground and pound with a minute left in the guard of Jenkins. The impact of the shots forced Jenkins to turn away. More punches land and the ref steps in to stop the fight.

The ref has seen enough 💢

🙌 The youngest fighter on the roster, @RongzhuM gets the finish! #UFCVegas37 pic.twitter.com/EeWnjPLBIk

— UFC (@ufc) September 18, 2021

Zhu Rong def. Brandon Jenkins by TKO (ground and pound), Round 3, 4:25

The post UFC Vegas 37 Results: Zhu Rong Gets TKO Finish appeared first on Cageside Press.