Shanghai gave the Road to UFC Season 5 semifinals two finalists, and the bantamweight bracket ended with Rabindra Dhant standing over a first career loss for Kasib Murdoch. Two of three judges scored it 29-28. It was not a performance you would call dominant. It does not need to be. A final is a final, and Dhant is the first Nepali to reach one.
What the fight looked like
Murdoch, unbeaten coming in, boxed well behind his jab and made Dhant work for range for most of fifteen minutes. Dhant's answer was pressure and timing: cutting the cage, landing the harder single shots when the exchanges closed, and trusting that if a round was close on the feet he could steal it with the moments that stuck in a judge's memory. The fight stayed standing, which surprised some who expected Dhant to hunt the finish that produced eight of his eleven wins.
The third round was the one that mattered. Murdoch's output dropped while Dhant's pressure did not, and the exchanges tilted towards Nepal's bantamweight late. When the cards came back, 29-28 twice for Dhant and once for Murdoch told the story honestly: a competitive fight, decided by details.
What it means
Three things, in order. Murdoch's first professional loss is Dhant's biggest scalp and a real indicator, because Murdoch had stopped everyone put in front of him. Second, Dhant has now won a decision under the biggest pressure of his career, which matters more than any highlight. Third, the final opponent is set: Ryo Tajima beat Chungreng Koren on the same night, and the two meet in Sydney on 7 February 2027 with a UFC contract attached.
The Nepali crowd in the arena
Flags, chants and a roar at the announcement: the sections that travelled for Dhant made Shanghai sound like a home show. Sydney in February will be closer to Australia's Nepali community, and if the semifinal was anything to go by, Afterpay Arena will lean crimson and blue on fight night.
Preview the Final in Sydney