ROAD FC’s ambitious global tournament has completed its first leg.

ROAD FC hosted the quarterfinals of the Gupne ROAD FC 064 -63kg Bantamweight and -70kg Lightweight Global Tournament at Chiak Gymnasium in Wonju, Gangwon Province on April 24. Kim Soo-cheol (ROAD FC Wonju) and Nandin Erden 토토사이트 (Team Finish Namyangju) defended their Korean seeding. Undefeated Yoon Tae-young and Yang Ji-yong (Team Ducking, Jeju) suffered their first losses.

Kim Soo-cheol vs Alexey Indenko, -63kg Bantamweight Tournament Quarterfinal]

Kim Soo-cheol (RUS) showed off his skills against Alexey Indenko (RUS), the No. 1 ranked bantamweight in the Russian organization MFP. Indenko started off with a head kick. He then scored a takedown and took control. Even after he tackled his opponent, he wrapped his neck and prepared for a counterattack. When he saw an opening, he hung on and finished with a guillotine choke. 55 seconds into the first round.

With the win, Kim improves to 19-7-1 in MMA. Indenko suffered his fourth loss in eight fights.

[-63 kg Bantamweight Tournament Quarterfinals Problem Hoon Mun vs Akira Haraguchi].

In the first round of the exploratory bout, Matterhoon (Octagon MMA) opened with a head kick. Akira Haraguchi (JPN) caught a kick and attempted a takedown, which was blocked by Munhoon. Akira went for the takedown again and spent a lot of time in top position.

The flow of the second round was similar. Akira caught a kick from Problem Hoon and dragged him to the ground. He even attempted a rear-naked choke, but Problem Hoon escaped. Akira continued to take the round from top position. In the third round, Akira’s favorable ground position continued and the fight ended. All three judges scored the fight for Akira.

Akira improved to 10-4 in his MMA career. ROAD FC’s last bantamweight champion, Munghoon Moon, fell to 12 wins and 14 losses.

[-70kg Lightweight Tournament Quarterfinals Nandin Erden vs. Filipe Jeus]

The match between Nandin Erden (Team Finish, Namyangju) and Filipe Jeuse (Brazil) ended in a split second. The teams exchanged low kicks and Jeuse went for a takedown. Nandin Erden defended the takedown and took top position, then unleashed a barrage of punches to finish the fight. The victory came at 1:43 of the first round.

With the win, Nandin Erden improved his MMA record to 16-8. Jeju’s record falls to 11-5.

Yang Ji Yong vs. Rajabal Sheydullayev, -63kg Bantamweight Tournament Quarterfinals]

This was a matchup of undefeated fighters. Jiyong Yang (Team Ducking, Jeju) was riding a seven-fight winning streak, while Seydullayev (Kyrgyzstan) had won eight straight, all by KO or submission. Sheydullayev was pushing forward, while Yang was waiting and receiving.

Sheydullayev scooped him up and scored a takedown. After some ground-and-pound, they switched back to standing, but Sheydullayev scored another takedown. After taking Yang’s back, Sheydullayev got the tap with a rear-naked choke. 4 minutes into the first round.

Sheydullayev remained undefeated in his MMA career with his ninth straight win. Yang, on the other hand, tasted the bitter taste of defeat for the first time in his seven-fight winning streak.

[-70kg Lightweight Tournament Quarterfinals Park Haejin vs. Devana Shtaro]

Park Haejin (Kingdom MMA) and Devana Shutaro (Japan) both hold black belts in jiu-jitsu, which made for an intense ground game. In the first round, Shutaro trapped Park’s face in an armbar and landed a steady stream of strikes.

Early in the second round, both fighters exchanged kicks and punches. Again, the key was the ground. Staro scored a takedown, but Park Hae-Jin attacked the lower body. With Staro in top position, Park managed to reverse the position with a sweep. Park then got another sweep.

The third round was a similar story. Shutaro took Park down with a takedown. A ground-and-pound exchange ensued. Just before the end, Park went for a choke but ran out of time. The judges scored the fight 3-0 in favor of Staro. Staro improved to 9-4 in his MMA career, while Park improved to 10-3.

[-70kg Lightweight Tournament Quarterfinals Yoon Tae-Young vs. Artur Soloviev]

Tae-young Yoon took on Solovyev, the No. 1 ranked Russian MFP fighter, and used his long reach to pressure him. He drove his opponent to the cage and attacked with punches and head kicks. In the midst of a punching exchange, Yoon’s back was to the ground, and Solovyev’s stamping kick came out. Solovyev was warned for the foul attack.

After a short break, Yoon indicated that the match could be continued. Yoon grabbed Solovyev by the throat and delivered a knee kick that seemed to set the tone. However, a right hook from Solovyev dropped her. Solovyev pounded away and the referee stopped the fight.

Yoon suffered his first loss, dropping his MMA record to 5-1. Soloviev improves to 9-1 with six knockouts.

[-63 kg Bantamweight Tournament Quarterfinals Park Hyung Geun vs. Bruno Azevedo].

Hyung Geun Park (Ssabi MMA) opened with a kick to the body. Both fighters cautiously took their chances. Park’s head kick landed on Bruno Azevedo (BRA). A series of strikes followed to set the tone. Azevedo used his uppercut to make Park hesitate.

In the second round, Park and Azevedo exchanged kicks. Inside leg kicks, middle kicks, and more. Azebedu dragged Park to the ground. He took control of the top position for a long time. Early in the third round, Azevedo scored another takedown.

He took Park’s back and quickly applied a rear-naked choke, forcing Park to tap. It was 1:28 of the third round. Azebedu improves to 19-3 in MMA, while Hyung Geun Park falls to 5-5, 2-2.