Event Overview
The Road to UFC Season 5 semifinals were held on Friday, August 28, in Shanghai, China, featuring four weight classes competing for a spot in the UFC. The event took place at the Shanghai Indoor Stadium, ahead of the UFC Shanghai card scheduled for Saturday.[S1][S2]
The card included nine fights, with the semifinal bouts for the 2026 tournaments. The event was broadcast live on the Sony Sports Network and streamed on Sony LIV, with the entire card available on UFC Fight Pass starting at 5:00 a.m. ET.[S2][S3]
Key Matchups
In the featured non-tournament bout, Maheshate, a 2021 Contender Series winner, faced Darrius Flowers. Maheshate had a 2-4 record in the UFC, including a win over Steve Garcia, while Flowers was coming off a victory against Lando Vannata.[S1][S2]
Another notable matchup was between Meng Bo, a ONE Championship veteran with over thirty professional fights, and Machi Fukuda in the women's strawweight semifinal. Meng Bo had previously defeated UFC star Weili Zhang in both fighters' professional debuts.[S1]
Semifinal Results
The semifinal bouts included: George Mangos vs. Ahejiang Ailinuer, Kasib Murdoch vs. Rabindra Dhant, Takaya Suzuki vs. Joseph Larcinese, Dagiisuren Chagnaadorj vs. Song Young-jae, Ryo Tajima vs. Chungreng Koren, and Park Bo-hyun vs. Farida Abdueva.[S1][S2]
In the men's flyweight division, Takeru Uchida missed weight, so his opponent Ji Niushiyue automatically advanced to the finals. The only other weight miss was Uchida, and the event proceeded with the remaining bouts.[S2]
