Mixed Martial Arts

Vietnamese champion Nghiêm Văn Ý (left) is aiming for a contract with the UFC from the Road to UFC tournament in May. — Photo of VMMAF

HÀ NỘI — Nghiêm Văn Ý will be the sole Vietnamese representative at the Asia-Pacific zone qualification, hoping for a ticket to the Road To UFC this fourth season.

UFC, the world’s premier Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) organisation, has revealed details of the new season, considered the most significant opportunity for Asia's top MMA prospects to make it onto the world stage.

Road to UFC is a 'win and advance' tournament that will take top prospects from Asia Pacific and put them on a pathway to a UFC contract.

Along with athletes from China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Singapore, Thailand and Việt Nam, Season 4 will also include fighters from Australia and New Zealand.

The format features 32 mixed martial arts athletes competing in each of four weight classes of men’s flyweight, bantamweight, featherweight,and lightweight divisions.

Vietnamese LION Championship winner Ý will compete in the bantamweight (60,75kg) category.

Nghiêm Văn Ý (right) defeats rival Felipe Negochadle in the 2024 LION Championship. He is named one of Road to UFC fighters in the fourth season. — Photo of VMMAF

Ý took his title after beating Felipe Negochadle in a belt bout in 2024, regaining his number one position after losing to the Brazilian rival in previous challenge match.

Also in this category are Ti Haitao and Sulang Rangbo of China, Rui Imura and Kuya Ito of Japan, Chungreng Koren of India, Peter Danesoe of Thailand and Sing Kai Xiong of Indonesia.

The winner will have the opportunity to compete in the UFC, the world's leading MMA arena, with rookie fighters also in line to win over US$10,000 per match, not to mention bonuses if they put in an impressive performance.

Last year's bantamweight champion was South Korean Yoo Soo-young, who got to sign a contract after winning both of his matches.

The opening fights will take place across two days on May 22 and 23 at the UFC Performance Institute (UFC PI) in Shanghai, China, in front of a live audience.

The finals will be featured bouts on a UFC Fight Night, by which time UFC contracts will be awarded to the winners from each division.

To provide additional opportunities for top MMA prospects in Asia-Pacific, there will also be four non-tournament bouts with participants being announced at a later date.

UFC Senior Vice President and Head of Asia, Kevin Chang, said: “Entering our fourth season, with nearly a third of Asia's UFC rostered fighters coming from Road to UFC, we can definitively say that the tournament has been a resounding success.

"Each year, the level of talent in Asia continues to improve and Road to UFC gives these prospects the opportunity to rise to the top and prove they are ready for the big stage of UFC. We’re excited to welcome participants from Australia and New Zealand who will raise the bar even further,” he said.

Each episode of Road to UFC will air during Asia-Pacific primetime so audiences can get to know the athletes via in-event features and competitions. UFC Asia broadcast partner in Việt Nam is K+ Sports.

To date, 17 Road to UFC participants have been awarded UFC contracts including 11 tournament winners, three finalists and three non-tournament bout winners.

Currently, UFC signees from Road to UFC constitute almost one-third of all Asian athletes on the UFC roster, attesting to the tournament's success at finding the top regional talent.

The UFC PI Shanghai opened in 2019, and at 8,600sq.m – nearly three times as large as the original UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas – it is the world’s largest, state-of-the-art MMA training and development facility.

The UFC PI Shanghai develops and supports the next generation of MMA athletes from mainland China and the greater Asia-Pacific region by hosting an invite-only UFC Academy Combine to test and select up-and-coming prospects for a full scholarship to the UFC Academy, the world’s leading MMA talent development programme. — VNS