In 2025, Chungreng Koren was close to realizing his dream of making it to the UFC. Not directly, not yet, but through the Road to UFC tournament, the UFC’s official Asia-Pacific talent pipeline, where two wins guarantee a UFC contract.For Corinne, it represented the culmination of years spent trying to carve out a future in combat sports: leaving Manipur to train in Bengaluru and Delhi, balancing survival with ambition, and fighting through a life of adversity.But the opportunity never materialized. Treaty obligations closed that door before he could even step through it.After a while there was an even stronger shock. In August 2025, the Korean lost his Matrix Fight Night bantamweight title to Rabindra Dhant of Nepal, the most damaging defeat of his professional career.For a fighter who had built momentum through aggressive finishes, the loss felt like everything he had spent years building suddenly came crashing down.Corinne has now admitted that the result pushed her into depression. But stopping wasn’t really an option.A year after that heartbreak, the 28-year-old finds himself on the threshold of the same dream. Initially named as a backup fighter for the Road to UFC Season 5 bantamweight bracket in Macau, the Korean’s opportunity came when South Korea’s Shin Yu-min withdrew with a knee injury.The call came in, and Corinne answered immediately. The dream he thought had slipped away came to life.“After I lost my last fight, I went into depression for a while because fighters always want to keep fighting and keep moving forward. Then all of a sudden I got word that I was selected as a backup fighter for the Road to UFC,” Corinne recalled.“I was very emotional and very happy because, for me, UFC has always been a dream. Even though it was as an alternative, I saw it as another opportunity to prove myself and continue my journey. When I finally got the confirmation that I would fight, I became emotional again because I knew that such moments do not come easily.For me, it feels like gratitude and another chance to fight for my dream,” he said while speaking on The Ultimate Guide to UFC for Sony Sports Network.
More than just another fighting chance
The Korean will now take on undefeated Japanese bantamweight Ryoho Miyaguchi, who holds a 7-0 professional record and hails from Japan’s elite Shoto and Gladiator MMA circuits, in the quarterfinals of Road to UFC Season 5 at Galaxy Arena, Macau.Tall, technically polished, and tested in a deep domestic ecosystem, Miyaguchi represents a significantly tougher challenge for the Korean.On weigh-in day, there was a scare due to Corin missing 3.5 pounds, but Miyaguchi accepted the fight.Still, Corinne’s fight has gone beyond what happens inside the cage.Born in Manipur’s Kamo Quireng village with limited infrastructure and opportunities, Korin’s life saw struggle long before professional MMA came into the picture. His father died before his birth. Years later, his brother’s death in 2019 left him with the burden of supporting his family.There were periods when the sport itself felt unsustainable, when wrestling and MMA seemed less like ambitions and more like luxuries. But people close to him refused to let him go.“In the beginning, I was mainly fighting for myself and my dream. But now it’s bigger because I have responsibilities. I fight for my mother, my wife and my child because they supported me even in the most difficult times of my career.He said, “There was a time when I almost gave up wrestling and my life was going in the wrong direction, but my wife and my mother encouraged me to come back to the sport and keep fighting. So when I walk out now, I take my family, my people and my country with me. The dream is still the same, but now the responsibility behind it is huge.”
The trip to Dagestan that remade the Korean
And this sense of responsibility affected the warrior of the Quireng clan even more after the defeat of Dhant. Although damage was done, there was no place to either disappear or break for long. Instead, Corinne chose to reset.That took him to Dagestan, Russia, a popular breeding ground for elite MMA fighters and UFC champions. It was there, amidst some of the sport’s toughest training environments, that Corinne rebuilt both his game and his mindset.“Before I went there, I was very low mentally after the loss. But I knew I had responsibilities – my mother, my wife and my child depended on me, so I couldn’t stop.“In Dagestan and during my training camps, I trained with many strong fighters, UFC fighters and experienced wrestlers and strikers. I learned technical wrestling, striking and discipline at different levels.Earlier my style was more strict and pressure oriented, but after training there I understood more about technique, timing and finishing. I have also become more disciplined in training and mentally stronger with experience,” he said.
The increasing presence of Indian MMA Warrior
Now, the significance of the Road to UFC in Macau extends beyond just the Koreans. This card is a rare and remarkable moment for Indian and South Asian MMA representation on the UFC platform.Apart from India’s UFC trailblazer Pooja Tomar, who will compete in a special feature bout, the event will also feature Nepal’s Rabindra Dhant, the same fighter who defeated the Korean at MFN.Interestingly, the very first edition of the tournament made history for Indian MMA when Anshul Jubilee won the lightweight tournament in 2023 to become the first fighter from India to receive a UFC contract through the promotion’s official pathway system.Against this background, the presence of several Indian fighters on the Macau card signals the growing exposure of the region’s MMA ecosystem.
For Corinne, however, the moment holds a deeply personal meaning.He remembers borrowing money just to sign up for his first fight. He remembers balancing training with manual labor in the rice fields back home. He remembers coaches and villagers continuing to support him at moments when quitting would have been an easy option.“I come from a very difficult background, and there was a time when it felt impossible to even continue with sports. Many people supported me when I had nothing, including my coach and the people in my village. Because of this, I always want to show that fighters from Manipur and India can reach the highest level when given the support and opportunities.This Road to UFC platform is important because people from my state and India can now see someone from their background fight on this stage. “Whether I win or lose, I want young fighters to believe that they can dream big and work for those opportunities,” he said.
The possibility of another Dhant showdown
Professionally, Corinne’s journey has been one of hard-earned progress. Sharpening his wrestling roots while training in Bengaluru and other MMA centers in India, he made a name for himself through his pressing style and finishing prowess.Prior to his loss to Dhant, he had put together an impressive winning streak and established himself as one of Matrix Fight Night’s standout bantamweights. Defeat brought this rise to an abrupt halt.Now, fate has placed both fighters on opposite sides of the same road in the UFC bracket. If both keep winning, a rematch in the finals could await, this time with a UFC contract on the line.Corinne, though, is careful not to look too far ahead.“Right now my focus is on the opponent in front of me and doing well in the Road to UFC. But of course, disappointment is part of my journey because I lost my belt in that fight. After that loss, I rebuilt myself and worked hard on every part of my game.If we both make it to the finals and meet again, it will be a very important fight because the stakes will be even higher this time with a UFC contract on the line. For now, I just want to focus on one fight at a time and prove myself inside the cage,” he said.
Chengrong is taking on the Korean Rabindra Dhant.
A year ago, Corin was dealing with the aftermath of a crushing defeat and another missed opportunity. Today, he stands two wins away from the UFC and a chance to validate every sacrifice that got him this far.Chungreng Koren faces Ryuho Miyaguchi in the Road to UFC Season 5 bantamweight quarterfinals on May 28, 2026 at Galaxy Arena, Macau. The event airs on UFC Fight Pass and Sony Sports Network.
