India’s Chungreng Koren is asking Japan’s Ryu Miyaguchi to step up to the UFC

Chungreng Koren (Image credit: UFC) India’s Chungreng Koren moved a step closer to the UFC when he submitted the previously unbeaten Ryu Miyaguchi of Japan via a back naked in the second round of their bantamweight quarterfinal bout at the Road to UFC Season 5 in Macau on Thursday.Koren secured the finish at 4:00 of the 2nd round after a ruthless performance that wore down the Japanese fighter. The bout got off to a competitive start, Miyaguchi, who entered the contest undefeated at 7-0, began to find a rhythm early in the second round via a series of straight right hands.But Koren responded by dropping Miyaguchi with a left hand and then releasing sustained ground pressure with strikes. Sensing the finish, Koren eventually transitioned to the back and locked in a rear naked choke, forcing the Japanese fighter to tap late in the round.For Koren, the victory represented much more than advancing to the semifinals of the UFC Asia-Pacific Talent Trail.Just a few months ago, the fighter known as the ‘Indian Rhino’ was dealing with the aftermath of the toughest period of his career. In 2025, Koren lost his Matrix Fight Night bantamweight title to Rabindra Dhant of Nepal, which depressed him and forced him into a period of recalibration. He had previously seen a Road to UFC opportunity fall apart due to contractual obligations despite coming close to entering the tournament.Even this latest chance came unexpectedly. Koren was originally named only as a backup fighter for the bantamweight division before receiving a late call-up after South Korea’s Shin You-min pulled out with a knee injury.The short nature of the fight made Thursday’s performance even more impressive. Koren took on the match with limited preparation time and still managed to stop one of the most technically polished opponents. The only blemish on the night came at Wednesday’s weigh-in where Koren missed the scale.Nevertheless, he showed one of the most striking moments of the opening round in the cage.With the quarterfinal victory, Koren advances to the Road to UFC Season 5 bantamweight semifinals, where he is expected to face the winner of Ryo Tajima vs. Ti Haitao. Meanwhile, on the other side of the group, Rabindra Dhant of Nepal also advanced after defeating Kimbert Alintozon via TKO (punches) at 4:37 of the 2nd round. The result also keeps alive the possibility of a high-stakes rematch between Dhant and Koren later in the tournament, this time with a UFC contract potentially on the line.