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. He also connected with a right hand during the round.Koren continued to press forward in the third round and again took Tajima down. He spent long stretches controlling the Japanese fighter on the mat and finished the contest with more than eight minutes of control time.Tajima, though, continued to work whenever he found an opening. He landed short punches and knees during the exchanges, and those moments ultimately proved important as the fight went to the judges.The scorecards were 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28, all in favour of Tajima.The defeat ends Koren’s run in the tournament and leaves him short of the Road to UFC final, where a tournament victory would have earned a UFC contract.The loss also brings an end to what had been a significant second chance for the Manipuri fighter.Koren had entered the tournament’s opening round in May on short notice after initially being named as a backup. He had struggled to make the bantamweight limit before facing Miyaguchi in Macau but produced an impressive comeback inside the cage, dropping his opponent with a left hand before securing a rear-naked choke in the second round.Ahead of the semifinal, Koren had spoken about how different his preparation was this time. He had spent three months at home, returned to training after a short break and also worked in Phuket with UFC fighters and other high-level training partners.The 27-year-old had also spoken openly about the difficult period that followed his loss to Rabindra Dhant in 2025. That defeat had left him struggling with his discipline and physical condition, forcing him to rebuild his routine before getting another opportunity on the Road to UFC.This time, he made weight and entered the fight with a full camp behind him.But Tajima proved difficult to break down.For Koren, the result means another UFC opportunity has slipped away. Yet his Road to UFC run had already marked a significant step forward after his first opportunity to enter the tournament fell through.
