India’s Chungrang Koren moved one step closer to the UFC by subduing Japan’s previously undefeated Ryoho Miyaguchi via rear-neck choke in the second round of their bantamweight quarterfinal bout at the Road to UFC Season 5 in Macau on Thursday.The Korean won at the 4:00 mark of round 2 after a relentless performance that slowly wore down the Japanese fighter. The bout started competitively, with Miyaguchi, who entered the contest undefeated at 7-0, beginning to find a rhythm early in the second round with a series of straight right hands.But Kurian responded by dropping Miyaguchi with a left hand and unleashing constant pressure on the ground with strikes. Sensing the finish, the Korean eventually transitioned to the back and locked in a rear-naked choke, forcing the Japanese fighter to tap out late in the round.For Corinne, the victory represented more than just advancing to the semifinals of the UFC’s Asia-Pacific Talent Pathway tournament.A few months ago, the fighter popularly known as ‘Indian Rhino’ was going through the toughest phase of his career. In 2025, the Korean lost his Matrix Fight Night bantamweight title to Nepal’s Rabindra Dhant, a defeat that plunged him into depression and forced him into a period of recalibration. Before that, he had already seen his UFC opportunity slip away due to contractual obligations despite being close to entering the tournament.This latest opportunity also came unexpectedly. The Korean was initially named only as a backup fighter for the bantamweight bracket before receiving a late call-up after South Korea’s Shin Yu-min withdrew due to a knee injury.The short-notice nature of the fight made Thursday’s performance all the more important. Corinne took on the competition with limited preparation time and still managed to hold off one of the bracket’s most technically polished contenders. The only blip of the night came during Wednesday’s weigh-in, where Corinne missed weight.Yet inside the cage, he delivered one of the standout moments of the opening round.With the victory in the quarterfinals, Corin advanced to the bantamweight semifinals of Road to UFC Season 5, where he is expected to face the winner of the Ryo Tajima vs. Ti Haitao fight. Meanwhile, on the other side of the bracket, Nepal’s Rabindra Dhant also advanced after defeating Kimbert Alntozon via TKO (Strikes) at 4:37 of Round 2. The result also keeps alive the possibility of a high-stakes rematch between Dhant and Corin later in the tournament, this time possibly with a UFC contract.
