UFC books four 8-man Asian tournaments in ‘Road to UFC’

Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

UFC will have 8-man tournaments in four divisions. In a bit of a throwback format, the UFC is set to host eight-man tournaments across four divisions, with the winners taking home contr…


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Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

UFC will have 8-man tournaments in four divisions.

In a bit of a throwback format, the UFC is set to host eight-man tournaments across four divisions, with the winners taking home contracts and officially joining their roster.

As officially announced by the promotion, the series is dubbed “Road to UFC” and will feature Asian MMA prospects from flyweight, bantamweight, featherweight and lightweight.

The opening round will kick off on June 9 and 10 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, just a couple of days before UFC 275 is hosted in the same venue on June 12. There will be 10 fights per day, which will also include two non-tournament bouts each.

The semifinal and final rounds will happen later in the year.

No specific fighters in the tournament have been revealed just yet, but some of the athletes are expected to come from countries such as Japan, Korea, Philippines, China, Thailand, Indonesia and India. Sources close to the situation also informed Bloody Elbow that some of the Dana White’s Contender Series veterans from China are expected to be among the participants.

Road to UFC will be broadcast all over Asia with the promotion’s various media partners in the region, and on UFC Fight Pass for other countries.