The South Korean contender overcame a difficult opening round before using her pressure, conditioning and physicality to earn a unanimous decision in Shanghai.
Bo Hyun Park is one victory away from completing her Road to UFC campaign.
The 27-year-old South Korean advanced to the strawweight final on Friday after defeating Farida Abdueva by unanimous decision at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center. All three judges scored the semifinal 29–28 for Park.
Abdueva controlled much of the opening round with cleaner strikes at distance, but Park changed the complexion of the fight late in the frame. After recognizing that she could create opportunities through takedowns, clinch work and sustained pressure, Park turned the technical striking contest into the type of physical battle that favored her conditioning and toughness.
Park took control in the second round, opened a cut on Abdueva’s forehead and maintained her momentum through the final five minutes to secure the first place in the Road to UFC strawweight final.
Abdueva Claims the Cleaner Opening Round
Park did not have the fight entirely on her terms from the beginning.
Abdueva appeared more comfortable during the early exchanges as both women operated in open space. She landed the sharper blows and used her technical striking to keep Park from establishing consistent pressure.
Rather than immediately forcing a reckless exchange, Park remained composed and continued looking for a way to change the matchup. That opportunity arrived late in the first round when she secured a takedown.
The sequence did not erase all of Abdueva’s earlier work, but it provided Park with something more important: a clear direction for the remaining two rounds.
Park recognized that she did not need to continue contesting a clean striking match at Abdueva’s preferred distance. She could close the space, force physical exchanges and test whether Abdueva could maintain the same precision while being pressured.
Park Changes the Fight in Round Two
The second round became the turning point.
Park increased her output, pushed Abdueva backward and began combining her strikes with a more physical approach. The technical battle Abdueva had controlled in the opening round was replaced by a grittier contest in which Park’s conditioning became increasingly important.
The South Korean repeatedly forced Abdueva to work under pressure while landing the more damaging offense. Late in the round, Park’s strikes split open Abdueva’s forehead and gave the judges a clear visual indication of how dramatically the momentum had shifted.
It was the type of round that demonstrated more than Park’s physical toughness. Her ability to identify what had gone wrong in the opening five minutes and make an effective adjustment showed the composure required in a tournament semifinal.
Park did not panic after losing the early exchanges. She simply changed the fight.
Conditioning Carries Park Through the Third
With the contest likely tied entering the final round, Park continued to dictate the pace.
Abdueva remained competitive and never stopped presenting a threat, but Park’s pressure and conditioning allowed her to control the decisive stretches. She continued forcing exchanges, denying Abdueva the clean distance she had enjoyed earlier and making the final round another physically demanding five minutes.
By the time the final horn sounded, Park had completed a clear turnaround.
Each judge awarded her two of the three rounds, producing matching 29–28 scorecards and sending the South Korean into the tournament final.
The unanimous decision reflected a fight that Abdueva started well but that Park ultimately reshaped around her own strengths.
Six Straight Victories for Park
The result extended Park’s winning streak to six and improved her professional record to 10–3.
More importantly, it placed her one victory away from winning the Road to UFC strawweight tournament and potentially taking the next major step in her career.
Park will meet the winner of Friday’s other semifinal between Meng Bo and Machi Fukuda. Either opponent will present a different challenge, but Park’s performance against Abdueva demonstrated that she can recover from a difficult start and make meaningful adjustments while the fight is still unfolding.
That adaptability may prove as valuable as any individual technique when she enters the final.
Abdueva, meanwhile, leaves the tournament after a competitive performance that showed why she reached the semifinal. She controlled the opening round and forced Park to find another route to victory. Although the result ended her Road to UFC run, she remains a fighter likely to be heard from again.
One More Fight for Bo Hyun Park
Park did not reach the final through a flawless performance. She reached it by responding correctly when the original fight was not going her way.
After being outstruck during the more technical opening exchanges, she found success with a late takedown and committed to a more physical strategy. She then used her conditioning, pressure and willingness to fight through difficult positions to win the final two rounds.
It was not simply a display of toughness. It was a demonstration of awareness.
Park understood what the semifinal required, imposed the necessary changes and earned the same score from all three judges.
Her winning streak now stands at six. Her record is 10–3. And after three demanding rounds in Shanghai, only one opponent remains between Bo Hyun Park and the Road to UFC strawweight tournament title.
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