When Nepal’s Rabindra Dhant, aka ‘Bajhang ko Baagh’, enters the octagon to clash with New Zealand’s Kasib ‘Murderer’ Murdoch in Shanghai, China, on Friday, he will be in for what his coach describes as his toughest fight so far. Both bantamweights boast impressive records: Dhant stands at 10-1 in pro MMA, while Murdoch remains undefeated at 8-0. One can expect a thrilling showdown as the two battle it out inside the octagon to claim the coveted UFC contract.

Outside the octagon, however, the fight has already begun. In fact, it started months ago. After Murdoch defeated Yunosuke Minami in Macau on May 28, he announced, “I am fighting Mr Dhant from Nepal. I’m actually very excited about this fight.” Earlier that day, Dhant had defeated Kimbert Alintozon to book the semi-final spot in the Road to UFC campaign. “I got asked to fight him [Dhant]…in Bali…about a year ago, and he turned me down for whatever reason,” Murdoch said. “I think he was scared.

“I just re-watched his fight. So I’m pretty confident going to this,” Murdoch continued. “He got dropped by a flyweight Filipino…I think I’m going to absolutely smash him. I’m going to run through him.”

It was just the beginning of bantering by the Kiwi fighter. Over the months, Murdoch has only intensified it. And recently, those from Rabindra’s side have made pointed counterjabs.

On June 3, Murdoch clarified that he had asked Dhant to fight on Changgu Fight Night in 2024. “I have wanted this fight for 2 years now,” Murdoch wrote, “and on August 28th, when I finish him inside 3 rounds and steal all of his hype, I expect an apology and a follow.”

Murdoch’s most provocative jab came two days ago, when he posted a photo of him holding Nepal’s flag. “The king of Nepal is coming to Shanghai,” read the caption.

And that’s probably where Dhant’s coach and manager Diwiz Piya had enough of Murdoch’s trash. Piya responded with a short video of him, Dhant and Yuki Angdembe sipping coffee and laughing out loud. “You know what happens to ‘Kings’ in Nepal,” Piya commented on his video. Nepali monarchy, after all, has had a chequered history before it was abolished in 2008.

Dhant has not personally responded to any of Murdoch’s banters till now. Settling the score right inside the ring would probably be more characteristic of the low-key fighter made of the rugged hills of Nepal’s far-west.

Dhant’s transformation from a manual labourer bound for the Gulf to becoming Nepal’s top fighter is a stuff of lore. And it is especially this inspiring journey and the effort Dhant has put in to sharpen himself that the coaches of the Bali-based Soma Fight Club, where Dhant has been training for over two years, back him up earnestly.

“I understand what Kasib is doing now, and I know what he is up to with this whole [expletive] that he is trying to throw around,” Mike Ikilei, owner of Soma Fight Club, said in a video interview with heavywgt MMA recently. “The kid [Kasib] is just trying to get some sponsors…and try to leverage off that…because this fan base [of Rabindra] is insane.”

Piya, Dhant’s coach and manager, has been more understated.

“We do not need to bother ourselves with it,” Piya said in a press conference organised by the UFC on Thursday. “We have Nepali fans who will respond to Murdoch’s banter.”

Murdoch, meanwhile, has continued to hype the fight by giving continuity to his ‘King of Nepal’ banter. Dhant, on the other hand, is busy training, locked in, as Piya said during the conference.

One could reckon that Dhant’s camp is taking the fight against Murdoch seriously because of the experience the Kiwi brings.

When Dhant was breaking stones for a living at the age of 15, Murdoch, around three years younger, was already a trained fighter.

Murdoch loved WWE, learned wrestling, and started boxing from his early days—inspired by his brother Shem, also an MMA fighter. He has even represented New Zealand in boxing at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics.

Even Piya has praised Murdoch and his background in the combat sports scene. “We respect Kasib’s…everything. He has been bred to be a professional,” Piya said during the interview with heavywgt MMA. “Skill for skill, I do not know [who is better]...we will find out on the night…but the hunger. I have been hungry myself, but not at Rabi’s level…That is a major factor I think we cannot overlook. So yeah, we will find out.”

The stakes are high. A win against Murdoch would help Dhant progress to the final of the Road to UFC-Season 5. And a win in the final of the knockout event means Dhant will get a professional UFC contract and become the first Nepali to fight at the biggest MMA promotion in the world.

If Murdoch has kept on throwing jibes on social media, Dhant has been busy training, as he always is. “Two days after the fight night in Macau, Rabindra was back training in Bali,” Ikilei, Soma’s owner, said. “He hasn’t really stopped ever since.”

The way that the structure works for the Road to UFC is that you get a KO [a knockout win], then your purse will go up, Ikilei added. “So trust me when I say we will be looking for the finish,” he said.