Rabindra Dhant is one win away from turning his Road To UFC dream into reality.

The Nepali prospect survived a grueling 15-minute battle with Kasib Murdoch on Friday at the Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai, China, earning a split decision victory in their bantamweight semifinal and punching his ticket to the Season 5 finale.

The fight quickly became a clash of styles, with Murdoch repeatedly looking to close the distance and drag Dhant into grappling exchanges. Dhant’s explosiveness allowed him to escape several dangerous positions while landing the more impactful strikes on the feet.

After two closely contested rounds, Rabindra Dhant appeared to seize control in the third, battering Murdoch with his striking and forcing the New Zealander into the clinch. “Murder” responded with a well-timed takedown and briefly found success from back mount, unleashing ground-and-pound before both men finished the fight trading heavy shots.

When the scorecards were read, Dhant emerged on the right side of the split decision, with two judges scoring the bout 29-28 in his favor, and advanced to the final, where he will face Japan’s Ryo Tajima.

The victory moves Rabindra Dhant to 11-1 professionally, with his lone defeat coming by unanimous decision against Ismail Khan in December 2023.

Murdoch, meanwhile, suffered the first loss of his career and falls to 8-1.