Mridul Saikia Suffers First Career Defeat at Road to UFC Season 4 Opener in Shanghai

LockerRoom Team

26 May 2025

Indian MMA fighter Mridul Saikia suffered the first loss of his professional career at the Road to UFC Season 4 opening round, held on May 22 at the UFC Performance Institute in Shanghai.

Fighting in the Flyweight division, Saikia took on Agulali of China. Despite entering the bout with an unbeaten record of 8-0 and representing India as its sole participant in the tournament, the Assamese fighter was defeated by knockout just 37 seconds into the first round. A powerful right hand from Agulali sealed the victory for the Chinese prospect.

Mridul, who trains out of Dojang MMA in Assam, had drawn attention with his perfect record. Although the loss was a disappointing result, his presence at such a prestigious tournament underlines the growth and potential of Indian MMA talent on the global stage.

Road to UFC is the UFC’s premier scouting platform for Asia-Pacific fighters, and Season 4 features top contenders in the Flyweight and Featherweight divisions. Winners of the tournament stand a chance to earn a UFC contract.

ROAD TO UFC Season 4 – Episodes 1 & 2 Official Results

Flyweight Tournament

• Namsrai Batbayar def. Wataru Yamauchi via KO (right hand) at 0:46 of Round 2
• Yin Shuai def. Kai Yoshida via TKO (strikes) at 4:38 of Round 1
• Aaron Tau def. Rio Tirto via TKO (strikes) at 1:26 of Round 1
• Agulali def. Mridul Saikia via KO (right hand) at 0:37 of Round 1

Featherweight Tournament

• Keiichiro Nakamura def. EoJin Park via KO (knee) at 2:24 of Round 2
• Sebastian Szalay def. Baergeng Jieleyisi via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Changmin Yoon def. Jin Aoi via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)
• Li Kaiwen def. DongHyun Seo via TKO (strikes) at 3:21 of Round 2

Non-Tournament Bout

• Arisa Matsuda def. Feng Xiaocan via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Mansher Khera def. Aziz Khaydarov via unanimous decision (30-26, 29-28, 29-28)