Summary
Lawrence Lui in victory at UFC 325. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram.
The first fights of UFC 325 They brought to the public duels valid for titles in three categories of the Road To UFC program. The reality show is focused on athletes from the Asian and Oceanian continents, and featured members of major MMA academies around the world. All the winners secured a contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to start the year in the best possible way.
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Australian dominates stand-up fight and wins in the lightweight division.
Dom Mar Fan in victory at UFC 325. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram.
In the third fight of the night, Dom Mar Fan made short work of SangWook Kim, winning by unanimous decision after a brilliant performance in a lightweight bout (up to 70,3 kg). In addition to becoming the newest signing for the world's largest MMA organization, the Australian secured his fifth consecutive victory, while the South Korean's four-fight winning streak was broken.
Kim went for a grappling fight early in the first round. Although he didn't inflict significant damage on his opponent, he managed to take Mar Fan's back for a few moments and pin him against the cage. In response, the Australian took advantage of brief moments free from the clinch to connect with knees and elbows.
The second round saw more striking exchanges on the feet, with Mar Fan coming out on top by dodging attacks and landing good combinations of punches. He also capitalized on a poorly executed takedown attempt to gain top position on the ground and threaten Kim with a choke. The South Korean suffered mainly from uppercuts and spinning strikes.
The course of the fight remained the same in the final round. Despite successfully cornering his opponent against the cage and landing combinations of punches, Kim was hit by strong jabs at long range. Amidst taunts from both sides, the South Korean pointed to the ground in reference to the characteristic hand gesture of Max Holloway At various times, however, the Australian avoided engaging in a direct exchange of blows.
As the three rounds progressed, all the judges scored all three rounds in favor of the Australian.
Brutal knockout after comeback wins prize in featherweight division.
Keiichiro Nakamura wins in UFC 325. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram.
In a featherweight bout (up to 65,7 kg), Keiichiro Nakamura knocked out Sebastian Szalay with a beautiful knee strike at the end of the third round. The Japanese fighter, who had clearly lost the first ten minutes of the fight, showed great resilience to overcome his rival's favoritism and, in the process, secure a spot in the UFC.
Visibly confident, Nakamura started the fight using feints and calf kicks. On the other hand, Szalay dominated the center of the octagon and landed good punches to the Japanese fighter's midsection, before feeling more comfortable and starting to risk quick left hooks. The Australian returned for the second round even more at ease and began to dominate the fight, scoring a knockdown and showing no concern about any counter-attacks from his opponent.
The fight became much more open in the final round. Needing a quick victory, Nakamura became increasingly aggressive, and this change in posture brought a positive result. He landed a powerful left knee to the Australian's chin, knocking Szalay out almost instantly, forcing Herb Dean to stop the fight at three minutes and 38 seconds.
▼ROAD TO UFCシーズン4フェザー級決勝／5分3R
中村京一郎 vs. セバスチャン・サレイ
3ラウンド3分48秒、中村京一郎TKO勝ち。#UFC #UFC325 pic.twitter.com/3Mm7ztgupD— MMA_IRONMAN (@captude71) January 31, 2026
Clash of styles marks the final of the roosters
Lawrence Lui in victory at UFC 325. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram.
In the first fight of the night, Sulangrangbo and Lawrence Lui delivered a contest worthy of the world's biggest MMA event. After 15 minutes of intense action, Lawrence Lui emerged victorious by split decision, becoming the bantamweight champion (up to 61,2 kg). A member of City Kickboxing, he achieved his fifth consecutive win, while his opponent, only 20 years old, suffered his fourth professional defeat.
With an initial strategy of taking the fight to the ground, Lui managed to take his opponent down a few times during the first round, but failed to maintain control. Once the fight was standing, both fighters showed great aggression and alternated periods of dominance, with Sulangrangbo moving better and standing out with good combinations of punches, especially powerful ones. uppercuts.
The young Chinese fighter remained evasive and dangerous, aided by his stand-up fighting in the second round. The City Kickboxing athlete, on the other hand, maintained his aggressive stance, imposing himself physically and taking his opponent to the ground on several occasions. Aware of the likely draw after the first ten minutes, both fighters returned with a sense of urgency for the final round. In this context, the... wrestling de Lui made the difference. The New Zealander pinned his opponent against the cage for most of the round.
At the end of the 15-minute fight, two judges scored it 29-28 in favor of the New Zealander, while one judge awarded the victory to Sulangrangbo by the same score.
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