Rabindra Dhant is set to step into the octagon on Friday against unbeaten New Zealand fighter Kasib Murdoch, a Road to UFC matchup that now carries Nepal’s attention into Shanghai. The Nepalese bantamweight’s appearance was amplified on Thursday when the Ultimate Fighting Championship posted a short video of him in black shades, a white T-shirt and a necklace bearing Lord Hanuman.
That was enough to turn the fight into a search point for fans looking for the next test for Nepal’s star bantamweight. Dhant, known as Bajhang ko Baagh, said in the video, “My surname is Dhant,” and, “And I hit the shot Dhantshot,” a line that matched the confidence around him as the bout approached. The timing mattered because Thursday also brought the faceoff between Dhant and Kasib Murdoch, with Friday’s fight now the next step in the bracket-style Road to UFC path.
The records explain why the matchup has drawn so much interest. Dhant has won 10 of his 11 professional MMA bouts, with eight of those victories coming by knockout or technical knockout, and his style is built on furious punches and kicks. Murdoch, meanwhile, brings an 8-0 professional record into the cage, with five wins by KO/TKO, two by submission and one by judges’ decision. The contrast is clear: one fighter is trying to keep a near-perfect run alive while the other is trying to turn power and volume into the kind of finish that has made him a name in Nepalese MMA.
Coach Diwiz Piya said Dhant has been working tremendously and is prepared, adding that it is the fighter himself who will have to show it. Piya also said the team had cut no corners and hoped to make people in Nepal proud, a message that landed harder after Wednesday’s flash floods left hundreds dead and many more missing. Dhant and Murdoch met for the faceoff on Thursday without pushes or banter, a calm moment before a fight that carries more weight because one man arrives unbeaten and the other arrives with fan expectation pressing in behind him.
Friday will decide whether Dhant’s knockout-heavy run can carry him past Murdoch and deeper into the Road to UFC push that has put him at the center of Nepal’s hopes. If he does, the result will do more than extend a record; it will answer whether the country’s loudest backing can meet an opponent who has never lost as a professional.
