Mark Climaco advances to flyweight semis in Road to UFC

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino-American Mark Climaco advanced to the semifinals of the flyweight competition of the Road to the UFC at the UFC Performance Institute in Shanghai, China Saturday, May 27.

In an action-packed battle for three rounds, Climaco took a unanimous decision win over Jung Hyun-Lee, with all three judges awarding the fight in favor of the former, 30-27.

Climaco improved to 9-1-0 while handing Lee his first ever loss in mixed martial arts. The latter dropped to 8-1-0 while getting bounced from this win-or-go-home format.

The Filipino-American repeatedly knocked Lee down to the canvas as he went to his grappling and wrestling skills. The Korean, however, proved to be resilient and likewise repeatedly broke out of submission attempts. 

In the second round, it was the Korean’s turn to seize the advantage as he struck some telling blows to close out the round.

The third round saw the two fighters trade strikes and leg and body kicks.

In the end, all three judges saw the fight in favor of Climaco, who advanced to the semifinals and handed Lee the first loss of his professional career.

Climaco will next face Japanese flyweight Rei Tsuruya, who also advanced after submitting Indonesia’s Ronal Siahaan in the second round of their match. The date and venue will be announced later by the UFC.