India's Chungreng Koren falls to Ryo Tajima in Road to UFC semifinal
Chungreng Koren’s Road to UFC campaign ended with a unanimous decision loss to Ryo Tajima in the bantamweight semifinal in Shanghai. Koren controlled large stretches of the contest and finished with more than eight minutes of control time, but Tajima stayed active with short punches and knees to sway the judges. The defeat ended Koren’s hopes of reaching the final and earning a UFC contract.
New Delhi: India's Chungreng Koren faced defeat in the UFC Season 5 bantamweight semifinal against Japan's Ryo Tajima on Friday. The Indian fighter, who had entered the semifinal after submitting previously unbeaten Ryuho Miyaguchi in the quarterfinals, ultimately suffered a unanimous decision loss. Koren started the contest aggressively, using leg kicks and taking the fight towards the cage, but Tajima quickly worked his way back to his feet and managed to take Koren's back at one point.
Despite Koren's efforts to control Tajima on the mat, the Japanese fighter continued to find opportunities to score with short punches and even landed a right hand during the third round. The scorecards were 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28, all in favor of Tajima. The loss marks the end of Koren's tournament run and prevents him from securing a UFC contract, as a Road to UFC final victory would have earned him one.
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