8/1/26
UFC touched down in Serbia for the first time and broke the record for the most first-round finishes on a card in the modern era of the company. From short-notice domination, amazing UFC debuts, and finishes across the board. UFC Belgrade put a lot of young fighters on the map and even previewed some future title contenders as well. In one of the best fight nights of the year, here is a recap of UFC Belgrade.
Milos Janicic vs Noah Gugnon: Lightweight
One kick and the fight was seemingly over. Noah Gugnon came out against Milos Janicic and just needed to land a leg kick that hurt Janicic’s leg, leaving him with a dead leg. That first kick already brought trouble, but Gugnon would continue to land and even hurt Janicic’s other leg when he switched stances. Janicic could do nothing but go to the ground and try to recover, but Gugnon displayed great grappling and wrapped around Janicic fast. In just moments, Gugnon locked in a rear naked choke and secured a submission victory. A great debut for Noah Gugnon, who is trying to make a name for himself in the sport’s toughest division.
Vlasto Cepo vs Gilbert Urbina: Middleweight
Vlasto Cepo came out as he usually does, swinging for the fences wildly, and pressed Urbina against the cage. He threw caution to the wind and swung with his head high without any regard for his safety. In the end, it cost him, though Urbina stayed calm under the pressure and put up a high guard with good defense. Urbina was countering back before that one punch landed that sent Cepo to the mat. Urbina followed up with massive ground and pound strikes, and TKO’d Cepo just one minute into the first round. This was Urbina’s first fight in middleweight after switching weight classes and a great introduction to the division.
Dusko Todorovic vs Robert Valentin: Middleweight
Robert Valentin submits Dusko Todorovic by guillotine in the first round in what was a high-paced round of grappling. The two went to the ground just moments into the fight as Valentin caught Dusko in a standing guillotine that literally lifted him off the ground, which could have been devastating. Dusko survived, though, and the two went on from there into some crazy grappling exchanges and reversals from both men. This is the kind of grappling that fans enjoy to watch because something is always happening and submission attempts are flying from both fighters. Towards the end of the round, Dusko tried to reverse his position but got caught in another brutal guillotine from Valentin, and this time there was nothing Todorovic could do. Another first-round finish on the card and an impressive victory for Valentin
Aleksandar Rakic vs Marcin Tybura: Heavyweight
Aleksandar Rakic looked sharp in his UFC debut and landed at an efficient percentage through all rounds. The speed advantage was evident, and it showed in Rakic’s defense as he avoided many clean shots from Tybura. There were questions surrounding Rakic’s move to heavyweight as he was on a four-fight losing streak in the light heavyweight division. However, three of those four losses were to former champions in the weight class. Tybura started well, but as time went on, he started to fatigue and couldn’t keep up with Rakic’s volume. Both men were tired in the third round and spent a majority of it in the clinch, but Rakic did enough to get the unanimous decision win. He now enters the UFC heavyweight rankings and is looking to start a journey towards a top five opponent and maybe one day a title shot.
Jan Blachowicz vs Navajo Sterling: Light Heavyweight
Navajo Sterling did what a lot of great fighters haven’t been able to do, and that is TKO Jan Blachowicz. Sterling came in on short notice and took the fight to the former champion. With just a few weeks to prepare, he came out with a leg kick-heavy approach while throwing combinations and mixing the striking well. The leg kicks were his main weapon, but all he needed was a massive straight right hand that sent Blachowicz flying across the octagon. He then rained down big elbows to an injured Jan and completely split him open. He was the #14-ranked light heavyweight coming into this fight, and he now just beat the #4-ranked in the division, which will likely put him in the top seven rankings. He called out Paulo Costa and Khalil Rountree as potential future opponents, which would be outstanding.
Uros Medic vs Daniel Rodriguez: Welterweight
It took 30 seconds for Uros Medic to KO Daniel Rodriguez after landing a clean combination and following up with big strikes on the ground. Medic has been hyped up as one of the next big contenders in the welterweight division, and he proved it in just 30 seconds while making it look easy. What’s even better is that it was in front of his home country and one of the best crowds that the UFC has had all year. An extraordinary card that demonstrated the global impact the UFC has around the world. Medic was the crowd favorite, and the crowd helped him deliver an emotional post-fight speech. In the end, Medic is the real deal, and the welterweight division needs to watch out.
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