The ‘Indian Rhino’ Chungreng Koren finds his way back with a UFC contract within reach | MMA News

Chungreng Koren is lighter now. He is also more prepared.That may sound like a simple observation ahead of his Road to UFC Season 5 bantamweight semifinal against Japan’s Ryo Tajima in Shanghai on August 28. For Koren, though, the difference between this camp and the one that preceded his quarterfinal is significant.When he arrived in Macau for the opening round in May, Koren had accepted the fight at short notice after initially being named a backup.He missed weight before facing Japan’s previously unbeaten Ryuho Miyaguchi. Still, inside the cage he delivered one of the more impressive performances of the opening round, dropping Miyaguchi with a left hand before finishing him with a rear-naked choke at 4:00 of the second round.This time, Koren says, the preparation has been different.“It was very different. In the last bout, I just did sauna and tried to lose weight. I didn’t want to miss the opportunity, so I went for it,” Koren told TimesofIndia.com ahead of the semifinal bout.“This time, I was at home for three months. I rested for 10 days. After that, I went for training.”

A different camp, a different Koren

The weight issue is something Koren is not avoiding. It was an unwanted footnote to an otherwise important night. But Koren admits that the bigger problem was what happened after his previous defeat.In August 2025, he lost his Matrix Fight Night bantamweight title to Nepal’s Rabindra Dhant. The defeat came after Koren had already seen an earlier Road to UFC opportunity disappear because of contractual obligations. The combination left him struggling with his mental health and, eventually, his discipline.“Last time, [when] I lost; after that, I got depressed. I was thinking that I was going to go to the UFC, but I lost. I lost my mind,” he said.“I used to eat healthy food. I used to do regular training. [After that] I didn’t go out of my house. I used to eat whatever I wanted. Because of this, my mental and physical condition went down.”The correction, for Koren, had to begin with the basics.“If we want to fight, we have to be disciplined. But I lost my discipline. That’s why I could not lose weight. Now, I want to eat healthy food. I want to maintain my body. I want to recover”.The numbers tell part of that change. Koren says he came into the previous fight around 71 kg and is now down to around 66-67 kg.There has been work on his game too. After the Dhant loss, Koren travelled to Dagestan, where he trained with wrestlers, strikers and UFC fighters. He had previously described that period as a reset, saying it helped him move away from relying primarily on toughness and pressure and towards greater attention to technique, timing and discipline.Ahead of Tajima, he has also spent time training in Phuket.“I have recently trained in Phuket. I have very good partners there. UFC fighters trained with me and [we] fought together. So, I am ready to give a good performance this time,” Koren said.The improvement he feels most strongly is in his striking. “I have improved my striking,” he said when asked what had changed most since the Dhant defeat.That improvement was visible against Miyaguchi. The Japanese fighter began finding his range early in the second round, landing straight right hands. Koren responded with the left hand that dropped him, followed the opening with ground strikes and eventually moved to the back for the submission.

Ryo Tajima presents a different test

Tajima, though, offers a different problem. He is 11-3 and comes into the semifinal after beating China’s Ti Haitao by split decision in May. Koren sees the Japanese fighter as a more experienced opponent with physical advantages.“Any fighter at this level has to be good, and he has more experience than me. He has a better reach than me. He would put more pressure on me. That’s why I study him.”Koren’s answer to that reach is straightforward. “I think my biggest advantage against him will be my takedown. He has a long reach. So, I think my biggest advantage against him will be my takedown.”That may be one of the clearest indications of how Koren expects the fight to develop. Tajima has already shown he can handle a three-round fight and blend wrestling with striking. Koren, meanwhile, is coming off a performance in which he showed he can hurt an opponent on the feet before taking the fight to the ground.There is little interest, though, in looking beyond August 28. Koren is now one win away from the Road to UFC final. A victory would leave him one fight from the UFC contract he has pursued for years.But ask him about that contract and his answer is immediate.“Only one thing at this time.”Which is?“Tajima.”

The Rabindra Dhant rematch can wait

The other semifinal has its own significance for Koren. Dhant is on the opposite side of the bracket, facing unbeaten New Zealander Kasib Murdoch.A Koren-Dhant rematch therefore remains possible. The first meeting ended with Dhant taking Koren’s MFN title. This time, the stakes would be considerably higher.Koren knows that, but does not want to get ahead of himself.“We have to win this fight first. Both the fighters are good. Rabindranath Dant is good. Whatever happens, I have to win this fight first.”Still, Koren sees the possibility of a rematch differently this time. Their first fight had generated significant interest around his profile, with Koren saying it drew more than 50,000 views on his account. If they meet again with a UFC contract at stake, he believes the interest would be even greater.“Last time, we fought in MFN. I had 50K-plus views on my account. And we had good hype. And if I fight Dant, it will generate good hype.”For Koren, that makes a potential rematch more than just an opportunity to settle an old score.“It’s a good opportunity, and we will have good history as well. But we will see.”

The pressure of fighting for India

While the focus for Koren is Tajima, that is partly tactical. It is also about the pressure Koren now feels. Before the tournament began, he spoke about carrying his mother, wife, child, people and country with him. In Shanghai, that responsibility sounds even heavier.“This is very special. We are fighting not just for ourselves. Not for our family. I am fighting for my country.”“At the same time, there are a lot of risks. If I lose, there will be two or three people to say good things about me. But there will be 100 people to troll me.”It is a different way of describing what is at stake. The UFC contract is the obvious prize. He also sees the opportunity as part of a larger problem in Indian MMA: there are fighters, he believes, but not enough regular opportunities for them to develop professionally.“If we want to grow even more, we have to invest in MMA, we have to participate in tournaments, and then only we can find good fighters,” he said.“In India, MFN is number one. Then there are Ronin FC, Aturto and we have five or six more. But we don’t do it [tournaments] regularly.”

What Indian MMA needs next

His argument is simple: more competition would create more fighters.“In other countries, they have regular tournaments, So if we can invest in 20-25 tournaments for professional fighters; very soon, in two or three years, we will find good fighters.”Koren has already become part of that search for visibility. His first Road to UFC run ended before it started. His second arrived unexpectedly. He then missed weight, stepped into the cage against an unbeaten opponent and won by submission.Now there is no short-notice excuse, no backup status and no need to wonder whether he belongs in the tournament.And Koren’s message to the young fighters watching is the same one he has repeated through the setbacks.“First of all, you don’t have to give up.”He pauses, then repeats it.“You don’t have to give up.”But he also offers a warning that comes from his own experience.“And this is a very rigorous game. And you have to think 10 times before taking this step. And if you want to move forward, you have to sacrifice first.”“You have to dedicate yourself. If you sacrifice first, dedication will come. First, you have to sacrifice. You have to move forward. That’s all I have to say.”On August 28, Koren gets another opportunity to move forward. This time, he has had the camp. He has worked on the striking. He says his body is ready. And, at least for now, there is only one name occupying his mind. Tajima.Watch ROAD TO UFC Season 5 SFs (Koren vs Ryo Tajima) on August 28, 2026, from 2:30 PM IST live on Sony Sports Ten 1 SD & HD, Sony Sports Ten 3 SD & HD (Hindi), Sony Sports Ten 4 SD (Tamil, Telugu, Kannada) & Sony LIV.