Uroš Medić wanted solely 30 seconds to cease Daniel Rodriguez within the UFC Belgrade major occasion, finishing a memorable homecoming on the promotion’s first occasion in Serbia.
Medić dropped Rodriguez with a speedy left-right mixture earlier than following him to the canvas and touchdown additional punches. Referee Jason Herzog intervened virtually instantly, awarding the Serbian a first-round TKO victory at Belgrade Enviornment.
The end result moved Medić to 14-3 and prolonged his profitable sequence to 4 fights, all of which have ended by first-round knockout or TKO. It additionally strengthened his place within the welterweight division after his earlier stoppage victory over Geoff Neal.
World in Sport’s UFC Belgrade preview had recognized Rodriguez’s expertise and skill to work via longer contests as potential issues for the aggressive residence fighter. Medić by no means gave him the prospect to use both benefit.
Medić Ends the Fundamental Occasion Virtually Instantly
Rodriguez opened with low kicks, however Medić shortly closed the gap and landed the decisive mixture. The left hand disrupted Rodriguez’s steadiness earlier than the correct despatched him to the ground.
Medić continued attacking from the highest till Herzog stopped the competition. Rodriguez protested briefly, though the referee had already seen sufficient to conclude that he might now not defend himself successfully. The official time for the opening spherical was 30 seconds.
It was a very vital end result for Medić due to the event. He was headlining his first UFC occasion in Serbia and carrying a lot of the native curiosity into the promotion’s Belgrade debut.
After the battle, Medić advised the gang that he hoped to “convey the belt to Serbia”. He additionally repeated his curiosity in going through former welterweight champion Leon Edwards and talked about Carlos Prates as one other doable opponent.
Calling for a longtime contender was comprehensible after such a decisive win. Nevertheless, future matchmaking will rely on how the UFC reassesses Medić’s place when its welterweight rankings are up to date.
World in Sport’s information to the UFC rating system explains why a convincing win doesn’t robotically assure a selected rating or a title alternative. Opponent availability, divisional schedules and the promotion’s wider plans can all affect the following battle.
Stirling Stops Former Champion Błachowicz
Navajo Stirling produced the opposite main results of the night by stopping former UFC light-heavyweight champion Jan Błachowicz at 2.56 of the primary spherical.
Stirling harm Błachowicz with a proper hand earlier than following him to the canvas. A sequence of elbows and punches compelled the stoppage, extending Stirling’s unbeaten skilled document to 11-0.
The New Zealander had accepted the battle on comparatively brief discover after changing Bogdan Guskov. Regardless of the change in preparation, he remained affected person within the early exchanges and capitalised on a gap left by Błachowicz.
Beating a former champion represents crucial results of Stirling’s profession. It ought to transfer him in the direction of the main contenders at 205lb, though the light-heavyweight title image might complicate his route as a result of champion Carlos Ulberg is a Metropolis Kickboxing teammates.
Stirling talked about Khalil Rountree Jr and Paulo Costa after the victory. Both contest would give the UFC a clearer indication of whether or not he is able to enter the speedy championship dialogue.
Rakić Earns Choice Win on Heavyweight Debut
Aleksandar Rakić additionally gave the Belgrade crowd a victory by defeating Marcin Tybura on his heavyweight debut.
Rakić managed the three-round contest and acquired scores of 30-27 from all three judges. It was one in all solely two fights on the 14-bout card to require a call.
Shifting up from light-heavyweight introduced a special bodily problem in opposition to an skilled heavyweight in Tybura. Rakić managed the distinction successfully, maintained his output and averted prolonged durations in positions the place Tybura might use his dimension.
The victory provides Rakić an encouraging start line in his new division, however one efficiency can not set up the place he belongs among the many ranked heavyweights. His subsequent opponent ought to present a extra detailed take a look at of how his velocity, power and endurance translate in opposition to bigger competitors.
Urbina Silences the Crowd Towards Čepo
Vlasto Čepo began aggressively in opposition to Gilbert Urbina and instantly pushed the American in the direction of the fence. Urbina remained composed, discovered a counter and dropped Čepo earlier than ending the competition with floor strikes after 61 seconds.
The end result ended Čepo’s unbeaten skilled document and represented one of many major card’s clearest reminders that early strain can create openings in each instructions.
Robert Valentin submitted Duško Todorović with a guillotine choke late within the first spherical, whereas Noah Gugnon required solely 81 seconds to safe a rear-naked choke in opposition to Miloš Janičić.
The amount of early finishes continued a sample established through the preliminary card. Solely Rakić’s win over Tybura and Borislav Nikolić’s victory in opposition to Mark Vologdin reached the judges.
Milošević and Leka Ship Physique-Shot Finishes
Nina Milošević earned a first-round TKO in opposition to Hailey Cowan after repeatedly concentrating on the physique. Cowan was unable to get well from the buildup of strikes, and the competition was stopped at 3.41.
Jovan Leka additionally used a physique assault to complete Alexander Poppeck. A kick to the liver dropped the German earlier than follow-up strikes introduced the battle to an finish at 2.22 of the opening spherical.
Michael Oliveira stopped Oban Elliott in 1.49, whereas Mateusz Rebecki defeated Kyle Prepolec by TKO with 19 seconds remaining within the first spherical.
Tofiq Musayev recorded one of many card’s two second-round stoppages when he completed Ludovít Klein at 4.07. Bogdan Grad accounted for the opposite, submitting Dennis Buzukja with a head-and-arm choke.
Stephanie Luciano started the occasion by submitting Marina Spasić with a rear-naked choke within the first spherical.
UFC Belgrade Full Outcomes
The cardboard featured 14 contests, with 12 ending by knockout, TKO or submission. Ten of these finishes got here within the first spherical. The official UFC Belgrade outcomes and judges’ scorecards present the complete occasion document.
| Card | Winner | Opponent | Technique | Spherical and time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fundamental occasion | Uroš Medić | Daniel Rodriguez | TKO, punches | Spherical 1, 0.30 |
| Fundamental card | Navajo Stirling | Jan Błachowicz | TKO, strikes | Spherical 1, 2.56 |
| Fundamental card | Aleksandar Rakić | Marcin Tybura | Unanimous resolution | 30-27, 30-27, 30-27 |
| Fundamental card | Robert Valentin | Duško Todorović | Submission, guillotine choke | Spherical 1, 4.14 |
| Fundamental card | Gilbert Urbina | Vlasto Čepo | TKO, strikes | Spherical 1, 1.01 |
| Fundamental card | Noah Gugnon | Miloš Janičić | Submission, rear-naked choke | Spherical 1, 1.21 |
| Preliminary card | Tofiq Musayev | Ludovít Klein | TKO, strikes | Spherical 2, 4.07 |
| Preliminary card | Michael Oliveira | Oban Elliott | TKO, strikes | Spherical 1, 1.49 |
| Preliminary card | Borislav Nikolić | Mark Vologdin | Unanimous resolution | 29-27, 29-27, 29-27 |
| Preliminary card | Bogdan Grad | Dennis Buzukja | Submission, head-and-arm choke | Spherical 2, 4.33 |
| Preliminary card | Mateusz Rebecki | Kyle Prepolec | TKO, strikes | Spherical 1, 4.41 |
| Preliminary card | Nina Milošević | Hailey Cowan | TKO, strikes | Spherical 1, 3.41 |
| Preliminary card | Jovan Leka | Alexander Poppeck | TKO, strikes | Spherical 1, 2.22 |
| Preliminary card | Stephanie Luciano | Marina Spasić | Submission, rear-naked choke | Spherical 1, 3.20 |
UFC Belgrade adopted the earlier weekend’s UFC Abu Dhabi occasion and continued the promotion’s run of worldwide Battle Evening playing cards.
For Medić, nonetheless, the significance was each private and aggressive. He entered the night because the central determine within the UFC’s Serbian debut and left with one other early end, a fourth successive victory. And a stronger case for a higher-ranked welterweight opponent
Readers can comply with the divisional response and future matchmaking via the World in Sport UFC hub.
