Nepal’s MMA star Rabindra Dhant is one victory away from the Road to UFC Season 5 bantamweight final, but standing between him and that milestone is an undefeated opponent with championship experience.
Dhant, popularly known as ‘Bajhang Ko Bagh’ (Tiger of Bajhang) will face New Zealand’s Kasib Murdoch in the Road to UFC Season 5 bantamweight semifinal on August 28 at Shanghai Indoor Stadium in Shanghai, China. Dhant enters the fight with a 10–1 professional record, while Murdoch remains unbeaten at 8–0.
The matchup is one of the biggest fights of Dhant’s career. A victory in Shanghai would send the Nepali fighter into the tournament final and move him another significant step closer to a place on the UFC roster.
Road to UFC is UFC’s ‘win and advance’ tournament for leading MMA prospects from the Asia-Pacific region, providing fighters with a pathway toward a UFC contract.
Dhant Arrives in Shanghai with Serious Momentum
Dhant earned his semifinal place with a commanding second-round finish against Filipino fighter Kimbert Alintozon in Macau on May 28.
After an increasingly competitive contest, Dhant stopped Alintozon by TKO with strikes at 4:37 of the second round, improving his professional record to 10–1. UFC Asia later described the result as the first Road to UFC victory by a Nepali fighter.
The victory also continued an impressive run for the fighter from Bajhang.
According to Sherdog’s record database, eight of Dhant’s 10 professional victories have come by KO or TKO, with one submission and one decision victory. His only professional defeat came via unanimous decision against Ismail Khan at ONE Friday Fights 45 in December 2023. Since then, Dhant has recorded four consecutive victories.
That run includes another important chapter in Nepali MMA history.
In August 2025, Dhant knocked out India’s Chungreng Koren in the third round at Matrix Fight Night 17 to win the MFN Bantamweight Championship. The victory made him the first Nepali fighter to become an MFN champion.
His journey has therefore taken him from success in Nepal and regional promotions to ONE Championship, BRAVE Combat Federation, an MFN title and now the final four of a UFC-backed tournament.
Kasib Murdoch Presents an Unbeaten Challenge
Dhant’s next opponent, however, has never lost as a professional. New Zealand’s Kasib Murdoch enters the semifinal at 8–0, with five KO/TKO victories, two submissions and one decision win. The 25-year-old competes out of Freestyle Fighting Gym and has shown that he can end fights both with strikes and on the ground.
Murdoch booked his semifinal place on the same Road to UFC card in Macau by submitting Japan’s Yunosuke Minami with an arm-triangle choke at 3:46 of Round 3.
He also arrives with championship experience from Australia’s HEX Fight Series. Murdoch won a bantamweight title fight against Sung Jin Kim in August 2025 and later went five rounds to earn a unanimous-decision victory over Kris Ustijanovski in another championship bout that November.
Murdoch is associated with Freestyle Fighting Gym, the Australian team led by coach Joe Lopez and closely associated with elite UFC-level talent. His training background adds another layer to what already shapes up as a demanding test for Dhant.
Rabindra Dhant Faces Unbeaten Kasib Murdoch With UFC Dream on the Line
Dhant vs Murdoch: Two Proven Finishers Collide
Statistically, the semifinal brings together two fighters who rarely leave their opponents comfortable.
Dhant has finished nine of his 10 professional wins eight by KO/TKO and one by submission. Murdoch has stopped seven of his eight opponents, including five by KO/TKO and two by submission.
There is also a noticeable physical contrast. Sherdog lists Dhant at 5 feet 9 inches, while Murdoch is listed at 5 feet 4 inches, although both compete in the 135-pound bantamweight division.
Those numbers do not decide fights, but they underline an intriguing matchup: Dhant brings proven finishing power and a taller frame, while Murdoch has remained unbeaten and demonstrated both striking and submission ability.
One Win From the Road to UFC Final
The stakes in Shanghai are straightforward. Win, and Dhant advances to the Road to UFC bantamweight final. Lose, and his Season 5 tournament run ends.
UFC officially describes Road to UFC as a win-and-advance competition designed to provide leading Asia-Pacific fighters with a pathway to a UFC contract. Previous editions have awarded contracts to the tournament’s divisional winners.
That makes August 28 about considerably more than protecting a record.
For Murdoch, victory would preserve his unbeaten professional career and move him into the final. For Dhant, it would add another landmark moment to a journey that has already produced an MFN championship and Nepal’s first Road to UFC victory.
When Is Rabindra Dhant vs Kasib Murdoch?
The Road to UFC Season 5 semifinals take place on Friday, August 28, 2026, at Shanghai Indoor Stadium in Shanghai, China.
UFC has announced that the semifinal event will begin at 5 p.m. China Standard Time, which is 2:45 p.m. in Nepal. Dhant’s exact cage-walk time will depend on the running order and duration of the earlier bouts.
The Road to UFC semifinals are also part of a major UFC fight week in Shanghai, with UFC Fight Night taking place the following day.
For Nepal’s growing MMA audience, however, much of the attention on August 28 will be focused on one bantamweight semifinal.
Rabindra Dhant has already carried ‘Bajhang Ko Bagh’ from Nepal to international championships and into Road to UFC. One more victory would put him in the tournament final and closer than ever to his UFC ambition.
