Meng Bo, Machi Fukuda Featured in Stacked Road to UFC Season 5 Brackets
Road to UFC returns to Galaxy Arena in Macau on May 28 with Season 5 opening-round matchups now confirmed across four tournament brackets and a featured featherweight bout, giving Asia-Pacific prospects a pathway toward a UFC contract during a three-event fight week that runs through UFC Fight Night: Song vs Figueiredo.
Road to UFC Season 5 stages its opening rounds on May 28 and 29 at Galaxy Arena, part of a multi-year partnership that brings UFC events to the Macau resort through 2029. The tournament again focuses on Asia-Pacific talent, with four brackets, women’s strawweight, flyweight, bantamweight and featherweight.
Women’s strawweight bracket
The women’s strawweight field may draw the most attention thanks to the presence of former ONE standout Meng Bo and newly crowned Deep Jewels strawweight champion Machi Fukuda.
Dong Huaxiang (China) vs Bo Hyun Park (Korea): Both enter as emerging prospects from East Asia, with UFC positioning this opener as a chance for a fresh regional name to break out in the division. Farida Abdueva (Kyrgyzstan) vs TBD: Abdueva represents Central Asia in a bracket otherwise dominated by East Asian talent, with her opponent still to be confirmed.
Meng Bo (China) vs Arisa Matsuda (Japan): Meng brings deep experience from ONE Championship, where she holds a long professional record and a win over future UFC champion Zhang Weili early in her career, and has stopped opponents with both punches and submissions across more than 30 pro bouts. She recently completed a run at strawweight and atomweight in ONE and now targets a UFC deal through Road to UFC, with social posts confirming her signing for this season.
Machi Fukuda (Japan) vs Feng Xiaocan (China): Fukuda, 22, captured the Deep Jewels strawweight title at Deep Jewels 50 by edging Si Woo Park via split decision after two prior failed interim title bids, making this Road to UFC campaign her first as a reigning champion-level entrant. UFC Asia has highlighted her move from RIZIN and Deep Jewels into the tournament, noting that she will face Feng in the semifinals on the Macau card.
Men’s flyweight and bantamweight
The flyweight bracket leans on proven regional names, anchored by Chinese prospect Jiniushiyue. Jiniushiyue (China) vs Kaito Oda (Japan): Fighting out of Enbo Gedou, Jiniushiyue enters with a record listed around 13–14 wins against four losses, with a balanced spread of knockouts and submissions and prior Road to UFC and WLF experience.
Eros Baluyot (Philippines) vs Takeru Uchida (Japan): Baluyot represents the Philippines in a division where Japanese talent like Uchida has been a staple on the Asian regional scene. Takaya Suzuki (Japan) vs Otgonbaatar Boldbaatar (Mongolia): Boldbaatar arrives unbeaten at 6–0 as a Mongolian flyweight who has finished many of his wins by stoppage and has climbed into Asia-Pacific rankings at the weight.
Ryoga Arimoto (Japan) vs Joseph Larcinese (Australia): Arimoto adds to the Japanese contingent while Larcinese gives Australia a second representative on the card alongside George Mangos at featherweight.
At bantamweight, a mix of Japanese, Chinese and Oceania fighters fill out the bracket. Yunosuke Minami (Japan) vs Kasib Murdoch (New Zealand): Minami and Murdoch give Japan and New Zealand a direct clash, continuing the Road to UFC trend of matching Japanese prospects with Oceania opponents.
Rabindra Dhant (Nepal) vs Matty Iann (Australia): Dhant brings rare representation for Nepal at this level, facing Australian hopeful Iann in an opening-round tie. Ti Haitao (China) vs Ryo Tajima (Japan): Haitao aims to extend China’s strong Road to UFC track record against Japan’s Tajima in another regional rivalry pairing. Ryuho Miyaguchi (Japan) vs YouMin Shin (Korea): Miyaguchi meets Korean entrant Shin in a stylistic Japan–Korea matchup that mirrors several previous Road to UFC fixtures.
Featherweight field and featured bout
Featherweight features four tournament bouts plus a non-tournament showcase, with several fighters already established on the regional stage. George Mangos (Australia) vs Yuito Yanagawa (Japan): Mangos, a 21-year-old Australian who has put together a long unbeaten run across promotions like Hex Fight Series and Eternal MMA, has finished opponents with submissions and knockouts, including a head-kick KO and multiple rear-naked chokes.
Ahejiang Ailinuer (China) vs GwanWoo Lim (Korea): Ailinuer continues the strong Chinese presence at featherweight against Korea’s Lim, adding to the China–Korea storylines across the card. Regezhen (China) vs Dagiisuren Chagnaadorj (Mongolia): This pairing pits another Chinese prospect against a Mongolian opponent, keeping the bracket heavy on regional rivalry angles.
Jin Aoi (Japan) vs YoungJae Song (Korea): Aoi, 28, has been active since 2015 and holds more than 15 pro bouts with experience in promotions including Shooto, Deep and a UFC appearance, bringing a double-digit win total and well-rounded game into this Road to UFC run.
The non-tournament featherweight bout sees former ONE mainstay Xie Bin meet Indonesian prospect Yudi Cahyadi. Xie Bin (China) vs Yudi Cahyadi (Indonesia): Xie, nicknamed “The Stalker,” owns more than a dozen pro wins and a resume that includes a DWCS appearance, multiple ONE Championship victories by submission and TKO, and a recent knockout in Road to UFC Season 3, while Cahyadi rides a multi-fight winning streak with a high finish rate from organizations in Indonesia.
All told, Road to UFC Season 5 in Macau blends proven names like Meng Bo, Machi Fukuda, Jiniushiyue, George Mangos, Jin Aoi and Xie Bin with emerging prospects from across Asia-Pacific, with every winner moving one step closer to a UFC roster spot by the end of the 2026 campaign.
