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Machi Fukuda Cruises Into Road To UFC Season 5 Strawweight Semifinals With Brutal Finish

Machi Fukuda Cruises Into Road To UFC Season 5 Strawweight Semifinals With Brutal Finish

Machi Fukuda punched her ticket to the strawweight semifinals of Road to UFC Season 5 with a dominant second-round stoppage victory over Kyrgyzstan’s Anelya Toktogonova on Friday in Macau.

Originally scheduled to face China’s Xiaocan Feng, “Kakutou Komachi” showed no signs of disruption from the late opponent change, quickly imposing her game from the opening bell.

The former Deep Jewels champion wasted little time showcasing the grappling skills that have fueled her rise through the Japanese MMA scene. While Fukuda found success on her feet early, it was her ability to dictate where the fight took place that ultimately proved decisive.

After controlling much of the opening frame, Fukuda immediately dragged the contest back to the mat at the start of Round 2 and began relentlessly attacking from top position. Toktogonova struggled to create any separation as the Japanese prospect unleashed a sustained barrage of ground-and-pound.

With no answer to the onslaught from Machi Fukuda, referee Vitor Ribeiro stepped in to wave off the contest at 1:53 of the second round.

The victory extends Machi Fukuda’s winning streak to seven straight fights and improves her professional record to 11-2, with seven of those wins now coming by stoppage. The 22-year-old has not tasted defeat since a narrow split-decision loss to Si Woo Park at Deep Jewels 45 in May 2024.

Image: @machi_fukuda/Instagram

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