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Dhant Edges Murdoch in Split Decision, Tajima Advances
The cage saw a night of tight margins, late surges and judges under pressure, as Rabindra Dhant, Meng, Suzuki, Ryo Tajima and Bohyun Park all walked away with their hands raised after a series of hard, tactical contests.
Dhant survives leg locks to nick Murdoch on the cards
Murdoch and Dhant met in the middle with bad intentions and very little feeling-out phase. Round one opened with Murdoch diving straight for a leg, locking it in firmly and forcing Dhant onto the defensive. Dhant answered not with panic, but with persistence, chipping away with jabs even as his base came under threat.
The grappling exchanges quickly escalated. Dhant managed to turn defence into offence, converting the scramble into a full-blown submission attempt, hunting the choke. Murdoch stayed calm, wriggled free, and immediately went for Dhant’s back, threatening a rear naked choke of his own. Dhant slipped out, and the round closed with him pinned to the canvas, stuck underneath but far from broken.
Murdoch opened the second still in command of the top positions, leaning on his control and weight. Dhant refused to be intimidated. Trapped on the ground, he spotted a gap and drove a sharp elbow straight into Murdoch’s face, a reminder that he remained dangerous from the bottom. The horn sounded on a first round that had given both corners reasons for optimism.
The pattern held in the next frame. Murdoch again latched onto Dhant’s leg and steered him toward the fence, trying to drag the fight into his world. This time Dhant responded with a burst of hooks, left then right, rocking Murdoch and leaving him visibly dazed. Murdoch dug in, recovered his bearings and reasserted top control, closing the round with a string of jabs from a dominant position.
When it was over, there was no obvious runaway winner. Control versus damage, leg locks versus elbows and hooks. The judges split. The scorecards, though, leaned Dhant’s way.
DHANT BEATS MURDOCH BY SPLIT DECISION.
Meng grinds out split decision in front of home crowd
Meng walked into the cage with home support at her back but started cautiously against Fukuda. The opening round unfolded as a measured, evenly-matched contest, both women probing for openings. Meng finally stepped in with a clean right hook, the standout strike of a tight frame, before the round closed with neither fighter truly seizing control.
The second saw Meng turn up the physical pressure. She drove Fukuda toward the fence, pinning her and working in a couple of solid shots. Sensing an opening, Meng trapped Fukuda’s arm and cinched in a choke, the crowd rising as the submission tightened. Fukuda refused to fold, battled through the danger and fought her way back to safety.
The fight remained on a knife-edge heading into the third. With around 40 seconds left, Fukuda rolled the dice, launching a late assault and throwing hook after hook in search of a dramatic swing. Nothing landed clean. Meng capitalised, reversed the momentum and finally secured top position, unleashing ground-and-pound as the clock bled away.
Again, the judges had work to do. Again, the margin was slim.
MENG BEATS FUKUDA VIA SPLIT DECISION.
Suzuki’s speed overwhelms Larcinese in TKO finish
Suzuki and Larcinese opened with a pace that demanded instant focus. Larcinese tried to settle with testing leg kicks, but Suzuki struck first with real intent, cracking him with a quick right hook. From that moment, the difference in speed was obvious.
Suzuki refused to stand still. Constant movement, angles, feints – he kept Larcinese guessing, forcing him to react rather than dictate. Larcinese narrowly avoided a flying knee, escaping by inches; a fraction slower and the fight might have ended there. The first round closed with both men trading, but Suzuki clearly the sharper operator.
The second round only underlined that impression. Suzuki started fast again, pushing Larcinese onto the back foot with a varied arsenal. When Larcinese did land, Suzuki answered by changing levels and getting on top, where he let his hands go. The pressure, the volume, the accuracy – it all added up.
The referee had seen enough.
SUZUKI WINS BY TKO.
SUZUKI BEATS LARCINESE BY TKO (stoppage).
Tajima outpoints Koren, books next step in the bracket
Tajima and Chungreng Koren delivered a three-round tactical battle, with the Japanese fighter’s reach and composure proving decisive.
From the opening bell, Tajima used his length smartly, keeping Koren at range and slipping whatever came his way. Koren tried to change the script with a takedown attempt, but Tajima stood firm. When Koren drove him to the cage, Tajima flipped the position, capitalised on Koren’s loss of balance, and took top position, raining down a flurry of jabs to close the first round on top.
Koren refused to abandon his plan in the second. Again he muscled Tajima toward the fence, looking to smother and sap him. Tajima finally found a pocket of space and punished Koren for it, landing a clean right hook that visibly disoriented the Indian fighter. Still, Koren stuck to his blueprint, pinning Tajima back on the cage and sneaking in a few shots before the horn.
The trend continued into the third. Koren grew more expressive, looser, and more willing to let his hands go, while Tajima stayed disciplined, managing distance and moments. It was a fight of control, small edges and judges’ interpretation rather than highlight-reel drama.
On the cards, there was no doubt.
RYO TAJIMA BEATS CHUNGRENG KOREN BY UNANIMOUS DECISION.
He now moves on to face the winner of Rabindra Dhant vs Kasib Murdoch – a bout that, by night’s end, had already delivered its answer.
Park’s late dominance seals unanimous decision over Abduveva
Bohyun Park and Abduveva opened with a cautious, evenly-balanced first round. Both found occasional openings, both had their moments, and neither managed to pull away. It felt like a slow burn.
The second round lit the fuse. Abduveva initiated the grappling and then broke off with a series of kicks aimed at Park’s torso, trying to sap the South Korean’s energy. Park absorbed the early work and then flipped the round on its head. As the clock wound down, she landed a strong jab that left Abduveva’s nose bloodied, then piled on with a few more clean shots to close the frame with momentum firmly swinging her way.
Before the final round, Abduveva needed medical attention as the cut and bleeding were assessed. Cleared to continue, she stepped out again, but Park now smelled opportunity. She drove Abduveva back to the cage and kept her there, grinding away and edging the scorecards further in her favour. Park hunted the takedown repeatedly; Abduveva, stubborn and proud, refused to concede it.
A timeout halted the action as Abduveva’s bleeding worsened, yet she returned once more, determined to see the final bell. When it rang, there was no late twist, no last-second reversal. The judges made it official.
BOHYUN PARK BEATS ABDUVEVA VIA UNANIMOUS DECISION.
On a night defined by tight calls and hard-earned advantages, every winner left with more than just a result – they left with proof that, when the margins are this fine, composure under fire is the sharpest weapon of all.
