UFC®, the world’s premier Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) organization, announced the semifinals round for ROAD TO UFC will be broadcast live on Sunday, October 23, from Abu Dhabi to conclude a weekend of incredible of MMA action in the UAE, highlighted by UFC® 280: OLIVEIRA vs MAKHACHEV on Saturday, October 22.

ROAD TO UFC is a ground-breaking “win and advance” tournament that takes top MMA prospects from Asia and gives them a pathway to a UFC contract. The tournament started with eight mixed martial arts athletes competing in each of four men’s weight classes: flyweight, bantamweight, featherweight and lightweight. The athletes in ROAD TO UFC come from Japan, Korea, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, India, and from the UFC Academy in China.

The opening round of ROAD TO UFC was held in June at the Singapore Indoor Stadium ahead of UFC® 275: TEIXEIRA vs PROCHAZKA, UFC’s first-ever Pay-Per-View event in Southeast Asia. 16 athletes won and advanced to the semifinals to compete in Abu Dhabi. The semifinals round is divided into two episodes, each of which includes four tournament bouts and one additional non-tournament bout. Details for the ROAD TO UFC finals will be announced at a later date.

The ROAD TO UFC semifinals episodes, bouts and live broadcast times are as follows:

Episode 5: Sunday, October 23 @ 3 p.m. GST (Gulf Standard Time)

• Featherweight: Yi Zha vs Koyomi Matsushima

• Flyweight: Qui Lun vs Seung Guk Choi

• Lightweight: Won Bin Ki vs Jeka Saragih

• Bantamweight: Toshiomi Kazama vs Min Woo Kim

• Non-tournament: TBD

Episode 6: Sunday, October 23 @ 5 p.m. GST (Gulf Standard Time)

• Featherweight: Jung Young Lee vs Lu Kai

• Bantamweight: Rinya Nakamura vs Shohei Nose

• Flyweight: Topnoi Kiwram vs Hyun Sung Park

• Lightweight: Anshul Jubli vs Kyung Pyo Kim

• Non-tournament: TBD

ROAD TO UFC will air live in Asia primetime (GMT +8) so audiences across the continent can get to know the athletes via in-event features and competitions on the following UFC broadcast partners:

International: UFC Fight Pass

China: MIGU

Hong Kong: NOW SPORTS

India: SONY TEN 2

Indonesia: MOLA

Japan: UFC FightPass

Malaysia: ASTRO SUPERSPORT 5, UNIFI TV, MOLA

Mongolia: SPS

Myanmar: CANAL+

Philippines: TAP GO, PREMIER SPORTS

Singapore: HUB SPORTS, MIO SPORTS, MOLA

South Korea: TVN Sports

Thailand: TRUE SPORTS HD3

Vietnam: K+ SPORTS

UFC returns to Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, October 22, with UFC® 280: OLIVEIRA VS MAKHACHEV, headlined by a clash for the vacant lightweight championship between Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev. Plus, the bantamweight division takes center stage, as Aljamain Sterling defends his crown against TJ Dillashaw, and “Sugar” Sean O’Malley steps up for a huge showdown against Petr Yan.

UFC® 280: OLIVEIRA vs MAKHACHEV will be the latest event held in the UAE capital as part of a landmark partnership forged in 2019 between UFC and the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi).

The prelims for UFC® 280: OLIVEIRA vs MAKHACHEV will begin at 6 p.m. GST, followed by the main card at 10 p.m. GST. Official UFC 280 VIP packages are available through On Location, featuring premium seating, a reserved seat at the ceremonial weigh-ins, all-inclusive in-venue hospitality with UFC Fighter appearances and more. Please visit https://ufcvip.com/d/ufc-280-tickets for more information.