The crowd had barely settled when Rabindra Dhant and Kasib Murdoch met in the centre, both men snapping straight into action. No feeling-out process, no caution. Just legs, arms and intent.
Murdoch struck first, latching onto a leg and cranking into a tight lock that forced Dhant to think fast. Dhant stayed calm, kept his base, and answered with sharp jabs that chipped away at Murdoch’s rhythm. From there he flipped the script, turning defence into attack and sliding into a serious submission attempt. Murdoch wriggled, rolled and finally burst free of the choke, only for Dhant to have to deal with a rear naked choke scare of his own moments later. He slipped that too. The opener ended with Dhant stuck underneath, pinned to the canvas but very much in the fight.
Murdoch carried that top control into the second, leaning heavy, trying to grind Dhant down. The pressure looked ominous, but Dhant refused to wilt. Flat on his back, he spotted a tiny gap, swung an elbow and cracked Murdoch flush in the face. It was the cleanest strike of the round and a reminder that even off his back, Dhant was dangerous. The horn sounded with Murdoch still on top, but the damage on his face told its own story.
The final round turned into a tug-of-war. Murdoch again snatched Dhant’s leg and hustled him towards the fence, trying to smother any late surge. Dhant answered with a burst of left and right hooks that left Murdoch visibly shaken, the momentum suddenly tilting. Murdoch dug in, muscled his way back to firm top control and finished the contest pumping out jabs from above. When the bell rang, there was no obvious winner, only two exhausted fighters and a job for the judges.
They sided with the sharper work. DHANT BEATS MURDOCH BY SPLIT DECISION.
Tajima books his shot at Dhant
Earlier in the night, Ryo Tajima had already secured his place in the next chapter of this story.
From the opening bell against ChungreNg Koren, Tajima made full use of his reach. He slid just out of range, watched Koren’s shots skim past, and answered with clean, economical work. When Koren tried to drag him down, Tajima stood tall, stuffed the attempt and turned the tables. The Indian fighter lost his balance near the fence, Tajima pounced and rained down a flurry of jabs from top position to close a strong first round.
Koren doubled down on his game plan in the second, again driving Tajima back into the cage. This time, Tajima needed only a sliver of space to change the tone. He found it, snapped in a crisp right hook and visibly rocked Koren, who stumbled but survived. The frame ended as it had begun, Koren pressing Tajima to the fence and sneaking in a few shots, but the cleaner work belonged to the Japanese fighter.
By the third, Koren loosened up, gesturing more, throwing with greater freedom, and still walking Tajima back to the cage. Yet the pattern never quite broke. Tajima stayed composed, picked his moments and did enough to keep control of the narrative. When the final horn sounded, there was little doubt which corner had banked the rounds.
RYO TAJIMA BEATS CHUNGRENG KOREN BY UNANIMOUS DECISION – and with that, earns a meeting with Rabindra Dhant.
Suzuki overwhelms Larcinese with speed and variety
Shunya Suzuki’s night was shorter, but no less emphatic.
He started by snapping out a fast right hook that immediately separated him from Davide Larcinese in terms of speed. Larcinese tried to slow things with probing leg kicks, but Suzuki refused to stand still. Constant movement, angles, feints – Larcinese spent most of the first round reacting, narrowly avoiding a flying knee that could have ended everything on the spot. The horn sounded with both men trading, yet Suzuki clearly dictating tempo.
The second round only underlined the gap. Suzuki came out on the front foot, mixing his strikes, forcing Larcinese into a shell. When Larcinese finally landed something meaningful, Suzuki bit down, changed levels and drove him to the mat. From top position he let his hands go, piling on unanswered shots until the referee had seen enough.
SUZUKI BEATS LARCINESE BY TKO (stoppage), a statement win built on pace and precision.
Meng digs deep to edge Fukuda at home
Meng walked in with the crowd at her back but started cautiously against Fukuda. The opening round unfolded as a tight, tense duel, both women probing without overcommitting. Then Meng stepped in, closed the distance and cracked Fukuda with a solid right hook that stood out in an otherwise even frame.
Buoyed by that success, Meng upped the pressure in the second. She bullied Fukuda towards the cage, layered punches on top, and then trapped an arm to lock in a firm choke. The arena rose, sensing a finish, but Fukuda showed grit and fought her way free, refusing to fold in enemy territory.
The third round brought a late surge. With about 40 seconds left, Fukuda gambled, throwing hook after hook in a desperate bid to steal it. Nothing truly landed. Meng waited, then seized her moment, dragging the fight to the mat and finishing the contest on top, hammering down ground-and-pound as the clock bled out.
MENG BEATS FUKUDA VIA SPLIT DECISION, a hard-earned win in front of her home fans.
Park breaks Abduveva’s resistance
BohyUN Park and Abduveva opened with a cautious first round, both finding occasional success but nothing to separate them clearly. It felt like a fight waiting to catch fire.
It did in the second. Abduveva initiated the grapple and then snapped in a series of kicks to Park’s body, trying to sap the South Korean’s energy. Park absorbed them, adjusted, and turned the round on its head late. A stiff jab smashed into Abduveva’s nose, drawing blood and swinging momentum decisively towards Park, who closed the stanza with a cluster of heavy shots.
Before the final round, doctors checked the damage as Abduveva’s nose poured blood. She got the nod to continue, but Park sensed vulnerability and went to work. She drove Abduveva into the fence, hunting a takedown, grinding away. Abduveva refused to concede position, even as the action halted briefly for another time-out due to the bleeding. When the fight resumed, Park stayed relentless until the final bell.
BOHYUN PARK BEATS ABDUVEVA VIA UNANIMOUS DECISION, her pressure and late surge too much for a brave but battered opponent.
On a night of tight margins and late swings, the picture ahead is already clear: Dhant and Tajima now move from separate stories into the same cage, with Suzuki and the rest of this card’s winners all pushing their way towards the front of the queue.
