The Road to UFC season 4 has its first tournament winner, as Lawrence Lui claimed the bantamweight season title with a split-decision victory over Sulang Rangbo to start off UFC 325.
Lui tried to establish pressure early on, but Rangbo countered and move around well. He even landed one hard shot during the round that stumbled Lui.
Lui’s grappling pressure came to fruition in the second round, as he scored takedowns and pressed the action against the fence. Rangbo still worked his jab, however.
Lawrence Lui Claims Season 4 Road To UFC Bantamweight Tournament Title
Rangbo was still landing the cleaner shots in the third, but it didn’t do much to deter Lui’s pressure. Lui landed seven takedowns by the fight’s end, and his grappling helped to bring him control of the fight in its final minutes.
All three judges scored the bout 29-28, with two giving the nod to Lui.
Lui now moves to 7-1 in his professional MMA career. He reached this tournament final with wins over Qinghe Zhang and Van Y Nghiem.
Rangbo started his professional MMA 1-3, but he entered tonight’s bout on a nine-fight win streak. He reached tonight’s final with wins over Peter Danesoe and Sim Kai Xiong.
