Rabindra Dhant appeared in a short social media video posted by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Thursday, looking calm and relaxed. He sported black shades, a white T-shirt and a necklace bearing Lord Hanuman, the lord of supreme strength and a disciplined mind. Then, staring into the camera, the Nepali bantamweight punched his left palm with his right fist. “My surname is Dhant,” he said. “And I hit the shot Dhantshot.”
On Friday, Dhant steps into the octagon in Shanghai for the biggest fight of his mixed martial arts career. The man known as ‘Bajhang ko Baagh’—the Tiger of Bajhang—will take on New Zealand‘s Kasib ‘Murder’ Murdoch in the semi-finals of Road to UFC Season-5. The winner moves one step closer to a coveted UFC contract.
Dhant brings a resume that has electrified fans back home. Across 11 professional MMA bouts, he has won 10, with eight victories coming by knockout or technical knockout. His explosive striking style, the so-called Dhantshot, has spawned a rap song, countless memes and a wave of social media reels. Nepali fans expect nothing less than a knockout.
But Murdoch is not a man who loses. The New Zealander boasts a perfect 8-0 record, with five KO/TKO wins, two submissions and one decision victory. He has never tasted defeat, and he will not hand over that record without a war.
The stakes could not be higher. If Dhant beats Murdoch, he becomes the first Nepali to reach the Road to UFC final. A win in the final would secure a professional contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the world’s premier MMA organisation. Already, Dhant made history in May by defeating the Philippines‘ Kimbert Alintojon in Macau to reach this stage—the first Nepali semifinalist in the tournament’s history.
The pre-fight faceoff on Thursday was surprisingly civil. The two fighters locked eyes, smiled, and walked away. There were no shoves, no shouting. Inside the cage, though, the smiles will vanish. Murdoch is a well-rounded threat, dangerous in wrestling, grappling and boxing. Dhant will need to unleash his furious punching and kicking game from the opening bell.
Coach Diwiz Piya has watched his fighter prepare with obsessive intensity. “Rabindra has been working tremendously—deep into training his body, mind and everything,” Piya said. “He is prepared… It is him who is going to show. So, we will wait for him to show rather than me talk too much.”
The fight carries an emotional weight beyond sport. Nepal is reeling from catastrophic flash floods on Wednesday that left hundreds dead and many more missing. In a message posted on social media Thursday, Piya wrote: “Our heart goes out to our country and people back home at this time of crisis. We are here for a task and duty to represent. Lord knows we have cut no corners. We hope to make you all proud.”
Dhant’s path to this moment has been marked by resilience. He lost only once in his career, to Ismail Khan in 2023, and has responded with a string of victories. Last year, he knocked out India‘s Chunreng Koren in the third round to win the Matrix Fight Night-17 bantamweight title in Noida—the first Nepali to claim that honour. Now he stands one fight away from history.
Murdoch, too, has momentum. He earned his semifinal spot by defeating Japan‘s Yunosuke Minami in Macau. His undefeated streak makes him a dangerous opponent for anyone. But Dhant has never shied from danger. The Tigers of Bajhang do not retreat.
When the cage door closes on Friday afternoon, one man’s perfect record and another’s remarkable redemption arc will collide. Only one will walk out with dreams intact.
