By Sachit Subba • Other Sports • Aug 28, 2026 13:46 PM • 67 views
On Friday at the Shanghai Octagon, the Nepali bantamweight fighter Rabindra Dhant secured a split-decision win over New Zealand's undefeated Kasib Murdoch, earning a place in the final of the fifth season of the Road to UFC. The judges did not all agree — two scorecards showed Dhant at 29-28, while two showed 29-28 for Murdoch — but after three rounds, Dhant came out on top.
Ryo Tajima of Japan is currently waiting for his opponent, having secured his place on the card by defeating India's Chungreng Koren by unanimous decision after three rounds. He had already faced a scare in the quarter-finals, where he beat China's Tai Haitao on a split decision. The 12-3 professional from Chichibu, Saitama, reaches the final as a fighter who has had to earn every advance.
Dhant's journey in this tournament has also been tough. He started by stopping Kimbert Alintojon of the Philippines with a second-round strike attack, with the referee ending the contest at 4:37 after a prolonged assault. His win on Friday against Murdoch was tighter — three full rounds against an undefeated opponent who pushed the scorecards to a narrow margin rather than settling early.
At 27, Dhant entered the final with a professional record of 10-1, consisting of eight victories by knockout or technical knockout, one by submission, and one by decision. He began his professional career in 2021 and fights out of Lock N Roll MMA in Nepal. His record already contains a historic achievement: in 2025 he defeated Chungreng Koren — the same fighter that Tajima has now beaten on two occasions during this streak — in the third round to win the bantamweight title at Matrix Fight Night 17 in India, thus becoming the first Nepali fighter to win a gold medal in a professional MMA promotion.
A win over Tajima would put Dhant at the top of the rankings. More importantly, it would earn him a spot on the UFC roster, giving him his first chance to compete there as a Nepali fighter.
After discussing his victory on Friday, Dhant turned to his home country. He said Nepal is currently going through a tough period due to the recent flooding, and people are offering assistance in any way they can, spontaneously, minutes after one of the most significant fights of his career.
The date of the biggest UFC bantamweight fight between Dhant and Tajima has still not been announced. Still, the stakes are clear: a UFC contract, a first of its kind in Nepali MMA, and a rematch of styles between a finisher who likes to end fights early and an opponent who has twice had to work hard to win over the judges.
