India's Chungreng Koren falls to Ryo Tajima in Road to UFC semifinal
Indian fighter Chungreng Koren lost his bantamweight semifinal match to Japan's Ryo Tajima in the Road to UFC tournament. Despite controlling the fight on the ground for significant periods, Koren was unable to overcome Tajima's effective striking.
Why it matters
The loss ends Koren's bid for a UFC contract, impacting the trajectory of Indian representation in international mixed martial arts.
NEW DELHI: Chungreng Koren’s Road to UFC Season 5 campaign came to an end on Friday as the Indian fighter suffered a unanimous decision loss to Japan’s Ryo Tajima in their bantamweight semifinal in Shanghai.Koren, who had entered the semifinal after submitting Japan’s previously unbeaten Ryuho Miyaguchi in the quarterfinals, was unable to turn his grappling control into enough effective offence throughout the 15-minute contest.The Indian started aggressively, using leg kicks before taking the fight towards the cage. Koren eventually secured a takedown and looked to establish control.Tajima, however, quickly worked his way back to his feet and briefly managed to take Koren’s back.In the second round, even though Koren repeatedly looked to put Tajima against the cage, the Japanese continued to find opportunities to score with short punches.
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