When the Road To UFC brackets were put together for season four, Lawrence Lui wasn’t a factor.
In this year’s tournament, which pits the best prospects from the Asia-Pacific region against one another in their bid to earn a UFC contract, the Auckland-trained bantamweight was initially only listed as analternate.
Now, he’s punched his ticket into the final and is just one win away from a UFC contract.
Lui claimed an emphatic second-round knockout win over Vietnam’s Van Y Nghiem in Shanghai last night, showing a patient approach and making the most of his shot when he took it.
“It feels f***ing incredible. I’m on top of the world, cloud nine, there’s no other feeling like this,” Lui said.
“I hope that proves I’m UFC level. I’m here to win the final.”
That made for a successful night for the New Zealand representatives on the show, with Lui’s City Kickboxing teammate Aaron Tau moving into the final of the flyweight tournament with a unanimous decision win in an all-action bout against China’s Shuai Yin.
For Lui, who was only added to the bantamweight bracket after another fighter withdrew, it was a composed showing against an opponent who had the speed advantage.
For much of the first round, Lui was on the defensive while Nghiem blitzed in and moved around the octagon well.
Lawrence Lui and Aaron Tau (inset) have progressed into the Road To UFC finals in their respective weight classes. Photos / Getty Images, UFC
Lui was able to mix in his wrestling early in the second round, and that gave Nghiem more to think about when the Kiwi approached. Lui used that to his advantage, feinting a level change as if shooting for a takedown, which drew an uppercut counter from Nghiem. Instead, Lui threw a straight right to send his opponent to the canvas. From there, he swarmed and ultimately forced the referee to stop the fight.
“I knew he was a fast, explosive dude. I respected that and I wanted to take that first round to make him blow his load a little bit. I knew once that first round passed, he would slow down, and all my feints and all my shots would get a reaction,” Lui said.
“That shot was something I practiced a lot in training, so that was all thanks to my coaches.”
For Tau, he once again finds himself with one fight between himself and a UFC contract.
After an exciting but unsuccessful bout for a contract at bantamweight on Dana White’s Contender Series last year, Tau made the move to flyweight to earn a shot on Road To UFC.
After winning by first-round submission in round one, his road to the final was full of adversity against Yin.
With plenty of finishes on their records, they both lived up to their reputations as athletes who look to get the job done early.
Aaron Tau won his Road To UFC semifinal by unanimous decision. Photo / Dean Purcell
And while both landed good shots and had the other hurt at various times in the bout, neither could find the shot to bring it to an end.
In a competitive first round, Tau ended his counterpart before coming on strong in the second round.
At times, it looked as though Tau was on his way to adding another finish to his record, but Yin fought back well.
Tau looked to slow down in the third round, and Yin tried to take advantage. The final five minutes saw both fighters throwing with everything they had to try to avoid going to the scorecards. They weren’t able to, but it was the best round of the bout for the Chinese fighter, who continued to try and bring the hometown crowd into it until the final bell.
Ultimately, the Kiwi got a hard-earned decision and moved on in the tournament.
The finals are expected to take place in either late 2025 or early 2026, however an exact date is yet to be set.
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.
