Dhant Edges Murdoch in Split Decision
The crowd had barely settled when Kasib Murdoch and Rabindra Dhant went straight to the mat, two men who clearly trusted their grappling as much as their hands. Murdoch latched onto a leg early, cinching in a tight lock in the centre of the cage, but Dhant refused to panic. He peppered Murdoch with jabs, chipping away at both the hold and his opponent’s confidence before swinging the momentum into a full-blooded submission attempt of his own.
Murdoch wriggled free of the choke, then turned hunter, chasing Dhant’s back and threatening a rear naked choke. Dhant read it, slipped out, and they ended the round with Dhant pinned but not broken, trapped on the canvas as the horn sounded.
The pattern held at the start of the second. Murdoch stayed heavy on top, smothering and grinding, but Dhant looked calm, almost comfortable in the pressure. Then he saw it. A tiny gap, a slight lapse. From the bottom, he drove a vicious elbow into Murdoch’s face, snapping the head back and drawing a roar from the crowd. It was a reminder that even when pinned, he remained dangerous. The round closed with both men still trading and the contest finely poised.
Murdoch went back to his strength in the third, again grabbing Dhant’s leg and steering him toward the fence. This time, though, Dhant answered with volume, unloading a barrage of left and right hooks that left Murdoch looking shaken. Murdoch dug deep, regained top control and answered with a stream of jabs to finish the fight on the front foot.
When the final horn went, there was no obvious winner. Both had taken their moments, both had worn damage. The judges were always going to be busy. They split, narrowly, in favour of Dhant.
DHANT BEATS MURDOCH BY SPLIT DECISION.
It keeps Dhant in the frame for bigger nights to come.
Meng grinds out split decision in front of home crowd
For Meng, the stakes were different. Fighting in front of her home crowd, she walked in under the weight of expectation and a strangely subdued opening. The first round against Fukuda felt cagey, both women searching for timing, but Meng finally stepped in and landed a clean right hook that snapped the quiet.
The bout stayed evenly balanced until Meng changed the tone in the second. She bullied Fukuda toward the fence, added a couple of sharp shots, then trapped an arm and sank in a firm choke. Fukuda refused to fold, battled through the danger and clawed her way back to her feet, but the message was clear: Meng had found her grip on the fight.
By the third, the urgency belonged to Fukuda. With around 40 seconds left, she emptied the tank, throwing hook after hook, chasing a late swing on the scorecards. Nothing really landed. Meng read the rush, reversed position, and finally climbed on top, unleashing ground-and-pound as the round ticked away.
When it went to the cards, the margins were as tight as the action.
MENG BEATS FUKUDA VIA SPLIT DECISION.
Not spectacular, but in front of her own fans, it was exactly the kind of hard-nosed win that builds a reputation.
Suzuki overwhelms Larcinese for TKO victory
If the earlier fights had been about nuance, Hiroki Suzuki brought clarity. From the opening bell against Larcinese, Suzuki’s speed separated them. Larcinese flicked out testing leg kicks, but Suzuki struck first in earnest, whipping in a quick right hook that set the tone.
Suzuki never let him settle. Constant movement, sharp angles, and a near-disastrous flying knee that Larcinese escaped by inches. They closed the first round trading, but the difference in tempo was obvious.
The second round only underlined it. Suzuki came out aggressively, mixing his shots and forcing Larcinese onto the back foot, reacting instead of dictating. When Larcinese finally tagged him, Suzuki snapped back with authority, driving his opponent to the canvas and climbing on top to rain down punches.
The referee had seen enough.
SUZUKI WINS BY TKO – SUZUKI BEATS LARCINESE BY TKO (stoppage).
A statement finish from a fighter who looked a step ahead all night.
Tajima outpoints Koren to book next step
Ryo Tajima’s meeting with Chungreng Koren unfolded like a slow burn. From the first round, Tajima’s reach advantage told. He slid just out of range, made Koren miss, and punished every misjudged entry. When Koren finally drove in on a takedown, Tajima stood firm, reversed, and sent the Indian fighter stumbling. With Koren off-balance, Tajima pounced, dropping a flurry of jabs from top position to close the opening round on top.
Koren refused to change his approach in the second. Again he tried to pin Tajima to the fence, leaning on pressure and grit. Tajima carved out a pocket of space and made it count, landing a crisp right hook that visibly shook Koren and briefly turned the tide. Still, the round finished as it began, Koren pressing Tajima against the cage and squeezing in a few shots of his own.
By the third, Koren had loosened up, more expressive, more willing to let his hands go. The pattern remained familiar: pressure from Koren, poise and cleaner work from Tajima. When the final bell rang, it felt like a classic clash of volume against precision.
RYO TAJIMA BEATS CHUNGRENG KOREN BY UNANIMOUS DECISION.
The reward is clear: a date with the winner of Rabindra Dhant vs Kasib Murdoch, and a chance to turn a tidy performance into something bigger.
Park’s pressure too much for bloodied Abduveva
Bohyoun Park and Abduveva opened with a tight, tactical first round, trading sporadic openings without either fighter breaking away. It was tense rather than explosive, two athletes probing for weaknesses.
The second round cracked it open. Abduveva initiated the grapple, then stepped back and hacked kicks into Park’s torso, looking to slow the South Korean and steal momentum. Park answered late and decisively. A heavy jab smashed into Abduveva’s nose, drawing blood and swinging both the round and the mood. Park finished the frame in command, landing several strong shots as Abduveva struggled to reset.
Before the final round, the ringside doctor checked the damage, weighing up whether Abduveva could continue. She got the nod. Pride wouldn’t let her walk away.
Park sensed her moment. She drove Abduveva to the cage, chained takedown attempts, and kept pouring on pressure. Abduveva resisted, refusing to concede the mat, but the blood kept coming. A timeout followed as officials assessed the cut, then, remarkably, Abduveva stepped back in once more.
They fought to the bell, both exhausted, one clearly in control. The scorecards reflected the story the final two rounds had told.
BOHYUN PARK BEATS ABDUVEVA VIA UNANIMOUS DECISION.
On a night of narrow margins and split calls, Park’s authority under fire stood out – the kind of performance that lingers when matchmakers plan the next move.
