Filipino-American fighter Mark Climaco will take on a decorated wrestler in Rei Tsuruya in the semifinal round of The Road to UFC Season 2, which will be held on August 27 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, the site of the inaugural series that began last year.
Climaco advanced to the semifinals of the flyweight competition of The Road to the UFC at the UFC Performance Institute in Shanghai, China, when he took a unanimous decision victory over South Korean Jung Hyun-Lee on May 27.
All three judges ruled the fight in favor of Climaco, 30-27.
Climaco (9-1) is the Philippines’ lone bet in this win-or-go-home format, where the winner of each weight division receives a UFC contract.
“With every stage of this competition, it gets tougher and tougher,” said Climaco in ABS-CBN News. “You expect that when everyone wants to compete in the UFC.”
“The plan is to fly in early and get acclimated to the time zone, so I am also relaxed. This will be a tough match-up against Tsuruya as he is a well-skilled fighter, but I am tough too. I have to learn from my baptism of fire in this tournament and really bring it to Singapore.”
The other semifinal series pits 22-year-old Chinese finisher Jiniushiyue “Little King Kong” (12-2) against well-rounded Korean wrestler Seung Guk Choi (7-2).
