Road To UFC Review | Season 5 Opening Rounds: Day 2
Road to UFC Day 2 is officially in the books, and as always, the tournament delivered a mix of standout performances, brutal finishes, and a few surprises along the way. Several prospects took a major step toward UFC contracts tonight, while others may have seen their momentum come to an end. In the following thread, I’ll break down the action fight by fight, share my thoughts on the biggest performances, and discuss what could be next for the standout names from the event.
Strawweight — Machi Fukuda (-225) vs Anelya Toktogonova (+190)
Our first strawweight bout of the tournament paired two young mixed martial artists looking to break into the UFC. Japan’s Machi Fukuda, only 22 years old, entered as a former DEEP Jewels champion riding a six-fight winning streak. She’s primarily known for her grappling prowess.
Across from her stood short-notice replacement Anelya Toktogonova from Kyrgyzstan. Just 20 years old, Toktogonova trains under elite guidance, with UFC legend Valentina Shevchenko serving as her godmother. Like Fukuda, her skill set heavily revolves around grappling, although she originally comes from a boxing background.
Round 1 began as a feeling-out process with both fighters working from the southpaw stance. Fukuda secured the first takedown shortly after the two-minute mark by attacking the legs, one of her favorite techniques. Following several wrestling exchanges, Fukuda established top position and started unloading steady ground-and-pound.
Toktogonova did a respectable job scrambling back to her feet, but Fukuda relentlessly pursued takedowns and repeatedly dragged the fight back to the mat at will. Despite Toktogonova’s own grappling credentials, she simply couldn’t stop the Japanese fighter’s pressure. Her best moment came late in the round with a deep kneebar attempt that Fukuda narrowly escaped.
Round 2 started exactly how Round 1 ended, with Fukuda securing another early takedown and quickly advancing to dominant positions while peppering Toktogonova with strikes. The Kyrgyz prospect rolled and scrambled as best she could, but Fukuda proved too physically strong and continued landing unanswered shots until the referee stepped in to stop the contest.
Fukuda looked outstanding, especially considering she barely appeared to break a sweat. Everything came easily for her. She fought confidently, controlled every phase, and absorbed virtually no damage. In my opinion, she absolutely looks like one of the favorites to win the entire tournament.
Result: Machi Fukuda (11-2) defeats Anelya Toktogonova (6-2) via R2 TKO
Flyweight — Eros Baluyot (+117) vs Takeru Uchida (-137)
Our first flyweight fight of the tournament matched the Philippines against Japan. In the red corner, undefeated Eros Baluyot entered with a perfect 7-0 record despite being the betting underdog. He has competed all across Asia, capturing regional gold and fighting in major promotions such as ONE Championship. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist, Baluyot is particularly dangerous with leg locks.
Across the cage stood Japan’s Takeru Uchida, returning to the RTU stage after winning a showcase bout back in 2022. Every single one of his professional victories had come by submission entering this fight, so a grappling-heavy contest felt inevitable.
And that prediction proved accurate immediately.
Within the opening minute, both fighters hit the ground exchanging submission attempts. Unfortunately for Baluyot, one small mistake exposed his back, and less than two minutes into the fight Uchida secured the rear-naked choke for the quick finish.
Uchida looked like an incredibly slick grappler during the brief fight. He made excellent adjustments throughout the scrambles, quickly found dominant positioning, and capitalized immediately when the opening appeared.
A dominant performance from the Japanese flyweight.
Result: Takeru Uchida (9-2) defeats Eros Baluyot (7-1) via R1 submission (rear-naked choke)
Strawweight — Dong Huaxiang (-200) vs BoHyun Park (+170)
Dong Huaxiang is becoming something of a Road to UFC staple. She reached the semifinals in 2024 and entered that tournament as one of the favorites before ultimately running into Shi Ming. Huaxiang brings strong grappling credentials into the cage, with seven submission victories on her résumé.
Standing opposite her was former Shooto champion BoHyun Park, who earned her first RTU opportunity while riding a four-fight winning streak. Usually, South Korea fields several representatives in the tournament, but Park was the lone Korean fighter competing today.
Right from the start, Huaxiang showed why she entered as the favorite. She established her jab effectively, landed clean shots through Park’s guard, and mixed in a takedown midway through the opening round.
Perhaps the bright lights affected Park early, as she struggled to get going despite most of Round 1 being on the feet. She became more aggressive late in the frame, only to be grounded once again by Huaxiang. Her best moments came in the final seconds when she finally landed a few clean combinations.
Round 2 was significantly better for Park.
She turned up the aggression and largely controlled the striking exchanges, visibly damaging Huaxiang’s face throughout the round. Huaxiang repeatedly looked for takedowns but was consistently stuffed, allowing Park to capitalize with clean counters on the entries.
The third round was extremely close. Both women spent much of the first half trading heavy shots in the center of the cage. Midway through the frame, Huaxiang returned to her wrestling-heavy approach, but the pattern from Round 2 repeated itself. Even when she secured takedowns, she absorbed damage on the way in.
Park also found success along the fence during clinch battles, preventing Huaxiang from establishing prolonged top control.
What a performance from BoHyun Park.
Very few people gave her a legitimate chance against Huaxiang, who carried RTU experience and trained at the Shanghai Performance Institute. Park made excellent adjustments starting in Round 2 and never looked back. The fight ended as a split decision, but in my eyes, she was clearly the rightful winner.
Result: BoHyun Park (9-3) defeats Dong Huaxiang (14-4) via split decision
Flyweight — Takaya Suzuki (-220) vs Otgonbaatar Boldbaatar (+185)
This was an unfortunate tournament seeding because both of these prospects likely would have been favorites to reach the final had they landed on opposite sides of the bracket.
Takaya Suzuki entered as one of the favorites to win the entire tournament despite being only 21 years old. The Fury FC flyweight champion already owned five knockout victories in seven professional wins.
His opponent, Mongolian standout Otgonbaatar Boldbaatar, is the reigning MGL-1 flyweight champion and another prospect who has been on my radar for quite some time. Five of his six victories had come by finish entering this matchup.
Round 1 played out exactly as expected: pure striking entertainment.
Both fighters showcased sharp kickboxing in what felt like a high-speed chess match. The pace was absurdly fast, with both men throwing dynamic techniques throughout. Suzuki mixed in nasty body kicks while Boldbaatar answered with spinning backfists and explosive counters.
Midway through the round, Suzuki dropped the Mongolian with a counter shot, though Boldbaatar recovered quickly. Then, in the final minute, Suzuki landed a brutal hook directly on the jaw that dropped Boldbaatar again. The Japanese prospect followed up immediately with vicious ground elbows to secure the stoppage.
Suzuki is the real deal.
He’s already one of the fastest young fighters in the division. Athletic, explosive, technically sharp, and dangerous on the feet, he possesses every tool necessary to eventually become a ranked UFC flyweight if he secures that RTU contract.
Result: Takaya Suzuki (8-1) defeats Otgonbaatar Boldbaatar (6-1) via R1 TKO
Strawweight — Bo Meng (-157) vs Arisa Matsuda (+137)
From one banger to another, Meng vs Matsuda felt like the best strawweight matchup of the day.
At 30 years old and with 30 professional fights, Bo Meng isn’t your typical RTU prospect. She spent the majority of her career competing in ONE Championship, where she consistently faced elite Asian strawweights. With ONE effectively closing its strawweight division, the UFC wasted little time bringing her into the tournament.
Across from her stood Japanese prospect Arisa Matsuda, a former baseball player who transitioned to MMA in 2022. Matsuda is a former DEEP Jewels champion and the current CFFC strawweight titleholder. She also competed in an RTU showcase bout last year, defeating Feng Xiaocan by decision.
Round 1 was extremely low output from both women. Matsuda clearly respected Meng’s striking power and spent much of the round circling on the outside, while Meng remained cautious of Matsuda’s takedown threat.
Both fighters fought patiently, choosing their moments carefully rather than forcing exchanges. The round ended with clinch work along the cage, where Meng landed the cleaner and more meaningful strikes, though overall damage remained limited.
Round 2 was even better for Meng.
Matsuda’s output remained extremely low, allowing the Chinese veteran to comfortably pick her apart at range while repeatedly attacking the calf kicks. Matsuda failed to establish any meaningful offensive rhythm and struggled badly to set up takedown entries.
It was a classic veteran performance from Bo Meng.
Matsuda looked somewhat better in the final round, but Meng surprisingly mixed in takedowns of her own and controlled large portions of the frame.
Honestly, I don’t understand why the matchmakers paired these two together in the opening round. Meng is arguably the most experienced fighter in the entire strawweight bracket, while Matsuda is one of the most marketable prospects.
I genuinely think Meng has a legitimate chance to win the whole tournament considering how complete her skill set appears.
Result: Bo Meng (23-8) defeats Arisa Matsuda (8-1) via unanimous decision
Flyweight — Ryoga Arimoto (+385) vs Joseph Larcinese (-500)
Another absolute banger in the flyweight bracket.
Japan’s Ryoga Arimoto entered as the Shooto flyweight champion, riding a four-fight winning streak on the notoriously difficult Japanese regional scene. A well-rounded fighter, he drew one of the biggest prospects in the bracket in Australia’s Joseph “Big Sexy” Larcinese.
At only 5-0, Larcinese already carried significant hype thanks to his 100% finish rate. His knockout win over Anthony Drilich in his previous fight put him firmly on the radar as one of the top prospects in the AUSNZ scene.
Round 1 belonged entirely to Larcinese.
He mixed his offense beautifully, finding success at kicking range while landing clean punches behind solid setups. Arimoto attempted a takedown that Larcinese defended well before scrambling into top position, where he controlled the Japanese fighter and inflicted damage with short strikes.
Larcinese brought a surprisingly grinding style to the opening frame.
Arimoto started Round 2 much better by shifting toward a counter-striking approach. He landed repeatedly on Larcinese, forcing the Australian into more wrestling exchanges. Larcinese secured takedowns but struggled to hold position as Arimoto consistently scrambled back to his feet.
The final 90 seconds featured strong exchanges from both men, though visually, Arimoto appeared to land the cleaner and more damaging shots. By that point, damage was clearly visible on Larcinese’s face.
Round 3 was Arimoto’s best round.
He flowed beautifully on the feet and even scored a takedown of his own early in the frame. Larcinese looked hurt multiple times as Arimoto mixed together clinch knees, body work, and combinations upstairs. The Japanese fighter’s body attacks were especially nasty. Meanwhile, Larcinese spent most of the round backing up and trying to survive the pressure.
Ultimately, Arimoto made excellent in-fight adjustments while Larcinese remained largely the same fighter throughout the bout. Arimoto honestly looked far better here than he had on tape beforehand.
And while I was writing that… the judges awarded the fight to Joseph Larcinese.
Personally, I thought Arimoto deserved the decision. Hopefully, we see him invited back next year. Larcinese clearly has talent and a solid skill set, but he’ll need to improve his adaptability mid-fight if he hopes to translate success to the UFC level.
Result: Joseph Larcinese (6-0) defeats Ryoga Arimoto (10-2-2) via split decision
Strawweight — Farida Abdueva (-160) vs Feng Xiaocan (+140)
Our final women’s tournament bout of the day featured one of the biggest blue-chip prospects in the field: Farida Abdueva.
Abdueva first gained international recognition by defeating Ayan Tursyn to capture gold under the Octagon promotion in Kazakhstan. Since then, she successfully defended that title and added another victory under the UAE Warriors banner. Training out of Tiger Muay Thai, she entered the tournament with considerable hype.
Standing across from her was Road to UFC veteran Feng Xiaocan, who had already accumulated four RTU appearances. She’s best remembered for falling short against Shi Ming in the 2024 tournament final and for losing to Arisa Matsuda last year.
Unfortunately, the fight ended almost immediately.
Early in the opening round, Abdueva landed a punch that drove her knuckle into Xiaocan’s eye. The action was stopped, and the cageside doctor eventually waved off the contest.
Since the injury resulted from a legal punch, the fight should technically have been ruled a TKO immediately. However, the referee initially treated the situation like an eye poke and waited for replay review before the officials ultimately declared the bout a no-contest.
At that point, nobody really knew what it meant for the tournament bracket.
Thankfully, later in the broadcast, it was announced that Abdueva would still advance, as the matchmakers retained discretionary power in no-contest situations.
That was absolutely the correct decision.
Initial Result: Farida Abdueva (7-1) vs Feng Xiaocan (11-4) ruled a no contest
Official Tournament Decision: Farida Abdueva (8-1) defeats Feng Xiaocan (11-5) via R1 TKO
Flyweight — Jiniushiyue (-310) vs Kaito Oda (+260)
Our final flyweight opening-round matchup featured RTU veteran Jiniushiyue, already competing in his fifth Road to UFC fight, against Kaito Oda, the GRACHAN flyweight champion and a dangerous knockout artist.
Jiniushiyue dominated Round 1 with an aggressive wrestling-heavy approach from the opening seconds. He landed arguably the most violent takedown of the entire week, controlled Oda for most of the round, and landed steady ground-and-pound.
Oda finished strongly in the final seconds after reversing position late, but the round clearly belonged to the Chinese fighter.
Round 2 started primarily as a striking battle. Jiniushiyue found success through technical boxing while Oda searched for fight-ending power shots.
Once the fight hit the ground again midway through the round, Oda scrambled impressively, but Jiniushiyue’s physicality and strength kept him on top and allowed him to land more damage.
Much like the first round, Jiniushiyue made a late positional mistake that allowed Oda to finish the frame strongly.
The final round featured another early takedown from Jiniushiyue, though Oda’s counter wrestling impressed me more than expected. He managed to return to his feet and briefly secure a takedown of his own before immediately being reversed again. The remainder of the round turned into a chaotic, scramble-heavy grappling exchange.
The fight ended with Jiniushiyue splitting open Oda’s forehead with strikes, leaving the Japanese fighter covered in blood.
This was an extremely fun grappling-heavy fight with nonstop scrambles. With how open this side of the bracket feels, maybe the fifth time really will be the charm for Jiniushiyue.
Result: Jiniushiyue (17-4) defeats Kaito Oda (8-3) via unanimous decision
RTU Season 4 Flyweight Final — Yin Shuai (+235) vs Namsrai Batbayar (-275)
We finally closed the book on RTU Season 4 with the delayed flyweight final.
Originally, Aaron Tau was supposed to compete in this bout after winning his semifinal matchup against Yin Shuai. However, Tau missed weight badly and was released by the UFC almost immediately, leading Shuai to be called in as the replacement finalist.
Shuai entered primarily as a striker, while Mongolia’s Namsrai Batbayar came in as a sizeable favorite after navigating a difficult bracket and scoring two impressive finishes during last year’s tournament.
Batbayar is an incredibly awkward and unorthodox fighter to read, making this a difficult matchup for Shuai stylistically.
The fight didn’t last long.
Both men landed heavy shots early, but Batbayar trapped Shuai in an awkward position along the fence before detonating a brutal knee to the face of his standing opponent. The shot ended the fight in under two minutes and officially earned Batbayar his UFC contract.
Batbayar is now officially a UFC fighter, and honestly, I’m already a fan.
Three finishes in three RTU appearances. He’s aggressive, powerful, chaotic, and every bit the Mongolian warrior archetype fans love. I think he’ll become a fan favorite very quickly in North America.
Result: Namsrai Batbayar (10-1) defeats Yin Shuai (18-7) via R1 TKO
UFC Strawweight Bout — Shi Ming (-190) vs Puja Tomar (+165)
I won’t spend too much time on this matchup since it was a UFC bout and not something we usually cover at Prospect Vault, though the fight clearly made sense for the Asian market.
Shi Ming continues to be positioned as one of the UFC’s biggest Asian prospects, while Puja Tomar entered as the lone Indian woman currently signed to the roster.
Shi Ming wasted no time taking the fight to the ground before securing a beautiful head-and-arm choke submission.
Result: Shi Ming (18-6) defeats Puja Tomar (9-6) via R1 submission (head-and-arm choke)
Updated Brackets
Meng vs Fukuda honestly feels like a final before the final. I believe the winner of that matchup immediately becomes the favorite to win the entire strawweight tournament.
On the opposite side of the bracket, Abdueva should have a favorable matchup against BoHyun Park.
At flyweight, Suzuki is the clear favorite moving forward. Larcinese clearly didn’t enjoy getting hit by Arimoto, and Suzuki is both faster and more dangerous offensively, so that semifinal matchup could become a huge test for the Australian prospect.
As for Uchida vs Jiniushiyue, I honestly have no strong read whatsoever. It should turn into an absolute grappling war, but picking a winner feels difficult right now. If I had to lean one way today, I’d probably side slightly with Uchida.
