UFC Fight Night: Medic vs. Rodriguez Live Updates, Results and Highlights

Saturday's finish-filled UFC card in Serbia was easily one of the best of the year so far, so it's no surprise there's lots to discuss in the aftermath.

Here are three of the biggest takeaways from the event.

Uros Medic Faces Uphill Climb to the Title

Make no mistake: having recorded a fourth-straight knockout win over Daniel Rodriguez in Belgrade, Serbia's Uros Medic is now a bona fide welterweight contender, and it's certainly possible he'll make good on his post-fight promise to bring the belt back to the country. But let's be realistic. Medic's best two Octagon wins have come against Geoff Neal and Daniel Rodriguez, who are both good, but simply not on the level of other contenders like Ian Machado Garry, Carlos Prates, or Michael Morales, let alone the reigning champion Islam Makhachev. Now that Medic has taken care of Rodriguez, these are the kinds of opponents he'll be facing. While it's possible his winning ways will continue, the road is going to get incredibly perilous for him from here.

Navajo Stirling Could be a Future Champ, But...

Navajo Stirling's bloody first-round finish of former light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz turned him into an immediate title contender in the division, particularly given that he accepted the co-main event opportunity on short notice. If he can pick up one more win, a title shot will almost certainly be next, and that may not even be necessary given his current momentum. There's just one problem: Stirling is a long-time training partner of new light heavyweight champ Carlos Ulberg. While it's possible they'll agree to fight each other, it doesn't seem like something either man will be rushing to do, so things could get a little complicated for them from here.

Aleksandar Rakic is a Welcome Addition at Heavyweight

Aleksandar Rakic made a successful heavyweight debut in Belgrade, defeating Marcin Tybura by decision. While the victory certainly didn't blow anybody's hair back, there is no question he is a welcome addition to the weight class. The heavyweight division is always starving for new talent, and while Rakic could have looked better, he definitely proved he belonged, and will land in the rankings next week. As luck would have it, a number of other fighters have also asserted themselves in the division of late, including Josh Hokit, Gable Steveson, Brando Pericic, and Rizvan Kuniev. All in all, it's a very good time for a weight class that is sometimes pretty hard to get excited about.

If you thought Navajo Stirling made quick work of Jan Blachowicz in Saturday's co-headliner, wait till you hear about the main event.

Seconds after getting stumbled by a hard Rodriguez leg kick, Medic surged back and floored his opponent with a blistering left hand. A few follow-up punches later, and it was over.

All it took was 30 seconds.

This was an utterly one-sided fight, and the best possible outcome for the fans Medic's home country of Serbia. They sure seemed to enjoy it. Their cheers were absolutely deafening from the moment Rodriguez hit the mat, and did not stop until the official result was being announced by Bruce Buffer.

"Nine years I've been away from home," said Medic, who has lived in the US since he left Serbia in his early 20s. "Look where it got me.

"I'm going to cook the rest of the division. With you guys by my side, we're going to bring the belt to Serbia."

With this stunning victory on home soil, Medic is now on a 4-fight win streak, with all of those wins coming by way of stoppage.

He's still probably a few wins from a title shot, particularly because there are so many contenders angling for a crack at the champ Islam Makhachev, but he is firmly in the conversation.

We've now reached the main event of the UFC's debut in Serbia. 

When the Octagon door closes, all eyes will be on local hero Uros Medic (13-3) who, after three-straight knockout wins, is closing in on title contention in the crowded UFC welterweight division. His opponent will be dangerous veteran Daniel Rodriguez (20-5), who is returning to action after eight months in prison, and consequently has a lot to prove to the fans and most likely himself. 

Both guys have a lot of tricks up their sleeves, and the ability to end things in a blink. It should be a good one for as long as it lasts. 

They'll have up to five rounds to work with. Here we go. 

Jan Blachowicz is known for his "Legendary Polish Power," but it was the power of Navajo Stirling on display in Belgrade. After getting wobbled by a stiff jab, the rising contender from New Zealand floored the former champ with a punch of his own, then chased him to the mat, and finished him with storm of elbows from top position.

It was an absolutely brutal performance from Stirling, and the kind of decisive victory current and former champs like Carlos Ulberg, Magomed Ankalaev, and Alex Pereira all failed to pull off against the Polish veteran.

"It's an absolute honor to share the cage with the former champion," Stirling said. "If [Khalil] Rountree or [Paulo] Costa want to fight before the end of the year, they know who to call."

With his first-round stoppage win in Belgrade, Stirling is now 11-0. He is now one of the top contenders in the weight class, though the fact that he's a training partner of the champion Ulberg definitely complicates things for him a bit.

Poland's Jan Blachowicz, a former light heavyweight champion, is by far the most accomplished fighter on today's card, and in our co-main event, he'll take on unbeaten City Kickboxing star Navajo Stirling. 

Blachowicz (29-11-2) was originally set to rematch Bogdan Guskov on the card, but shifted his focus to Stirling when Guskov was matched up with Magomed Ankalaev on short notice. 

This is a great opportunity for Blachowicz, 43, to steal some shine from a surging young contender. For Stirling (10-0), who is riding a win over Ion Cutelaba, it's a chance to become a legitimate contender with a win over his toughest opponent to date. His team has lots of experience game-planning for Blachowicz, but their results against the Polish veteran have been mixed. Let's see how it goes this time. 

Austria's Aleksandar Rakic made a successful heavyweight debut in his second home of Serbia, defeating Poland's Marcin Tybura by unanimous decision after three rounds. Regrettably, the fight became pretty tedious after the first five minutes, as both heavyweights seemed to feel the effects of fatigue.

Still, this marks a fresh start for Rakic, who is back in the win column for the first time since 2021. He's now 15-6 overall, and figures to land in the heavyweight rankings when they're updated next week.

"With this crowd, I knew that I could not lose," he said in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. "It's a new chapter for me, and what a beginning."

Tybura (28-12), who has been an elite heavyweight for years, is on a definite slide, with losses in his last three fights.

For a brief time, Austria's Aleksandar Rakic looked like he could be a future champion at light heavyweight. Unfortunately, he's had some poor results and very bad luck in recent years, going without a win since 2021.

In our next fight, Rakic (14-6) will look to breathe new life into his career with a move up to heavyweight. He will make his debut in the division opposite Polish mainstay Marcin Tybura (27-11).

Will Rakic become a new contender in the division, or came up short against the big men of the weight class, like former light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira did against Ciryl Gane at the White House in June?

Let's find out.

Robert Valentin and Dusko Todorovic were scrambling like flyweights through much of their middleweight fight, but in the end, the visiting Swiss fighter was able to lock up a guillotine choke Todorovic couldn't escape.

Valentin's first-round win brings him onto a two-fight streak—both submissions. He's now 12-6 overall, but is still below the .500 mark in the Octagon, with a 2-3 UFC record.

Todorovic is now back in the loss column after a recent submission win over Jose Medina. He's now just 1-4 in his last 5, and may be at risk of losing his roster spot.

It's now time for a second consecutive fight in the middleweight division. This one will pit Belgrade-based Montenegrin Dusko Todorovic against Switzerland's Robert Valentin. 

Todorovic (13-6) has quite a bit of Octagon experience, but has struggled greatly with consistency as a member of the UFC roster. That said, he submitted Jose Medina last time out, which was certainly a good sign for his future. Valentin (11-6) has had his own issues with consistency, but also won his last fight by submission, choking out Julien Leblanc. 

It seemed like Gilbert Ubrina could be in for a very rough night against the hard-charging Vlasto Cepo in Serbia, but he ended up winning their fight in brutal fashion. After an early assault from Cepo, the local favorite was floored by a jab from the visiting American, and promptly finished off with strikes on the mat.

It was a big upset, and a crucial win for Urbina, who had been knocked out in his last two fights a division down at welterweight. He's now 8-4 overall, while Cepo falls to 14-4, and will have to wait for his debut Octagon victory.

Our next fight will be contested at middleweight, as Serbia's own Vlasto Cepo takes on Greg Jackson student Gilbert Urbina. Cepo (14-3) will make his UFC debut with knockout wins in his last two fights. Urbina (7-4), in sharp contrast, has been knocked out in his last two fights, including a rough setback against tonight's leading man, Uros Medic.

Let's get to it.

Serbia shares a border with Montenegro, so there were a ton of Milos Janicic fans in the building in Belgrade on Saturday. They were very vocal in their support of the debuting prospect, but they didn't get the result they wanted.

Early in round one, the Frenchman Noah Gugnon played the spoiler, stinging his opponent's leg with a kick that immediately compromised his mobility. Before long, a helpless Janicic was flopping to the ground, and not long after that, Gugnon locked up the rear-naked choke for the tap.

This was a breakout victory in the French lightweight, who is now 10-2 overall, and 1-0 in the UFC. He also took so little damage that he could conceivably score a short-notice spot on next month's UFC Paris card.

After a finish-filled undercard, it's now time for Saturday's main card in Belgrade. 

First up, we've got a lightweight fight between Montenegro's Milos Janicic and France's Noah Gugnon. 

"The Cobra" Janicic will be making his UFC debut with an impressive 19-3 pro MMA record, and three recent wins in "Platinum" Mike Perry's special-rules DBX promotion. Gugnon, a former Ares FC fighter, is also debuting in the Octagon. He'll do so with a record of 9-2. 

Both fighters have a real knack for finishes, so this should be a good one. 

Despite being a noteworthy underdog in his lightweight battle with Ludovit Klein, Tofiq Musayev came out on top.

The former Rizin Grand Prix winner was aggressive from the opening bell, targeting his opponent's legs and head through round one. He then dropped him and finished him off in round two. Klein briefly protested the stoppage, but it was totally defensible. He was in big trouble, and didn't seem like he was going to escape anytime soon.

The second-round TKO win brings Musaev to 2-1 in the Octagon and 24-6 overall. At 36, he may never crack the lightweight top-15, but at his best, he is a very dangerous fighter.

Belgrade's undercard will be wrapped up by a fan-friendly lightweight fight between striking specialists Ludovit Klein and Tofiq Musayev. 

Slovakia's Klein (24-5-1) has had some excellent moments in the UFC, and has only struggled against strong opposition. Azerbaijan's Musayev (23-6) is a little less experienced in the UFC, but was fighting at a very high level in the Rizin ring before migrating to the Octagon. Both guys are riding decision victories over solid opponents, and will be looking get win streaks going here. 

This is a great way to conclude the undercard. Here we go.

Michael "PDQ" is a serious, serious prospect.

The unbeaten Brazilian improved to 10-0 on Saturday's undercard, wiping out an experienced Oban Elliott inside a round. He got things going with a jab that seemed to completely scramble his Welsh opponent's brain. Elliott hung in there for a moment, but he simply could not withstand his opponent's absurd punching power. A few more clean shots landed, and he could not longer hoist himself off the canvas.

As long as Oliveira's durability, cardio and takedown defense continue to hold up, he could become a real problem in the welterweight division. For Elliott, on the other hand, that's now three losses in a row. If the UFC keeps him around, a win will be imperative next time out.

Up next, we've got a welterweight fight between unbeaten Brazilian prospect Michael "PDQ" Oliveira, and popular "Welsh Gangster" Oban Elliot.

Oliveira (9-0) will make his UFC debut with a ton of momentum, having won his first nine pro fights, and eight of those by knockout—including a violent win on Contender Series last October. Elliot (12-4) will be looking for a sorely needed victory after back-to-back losses.

Oliveira is already in the cage, so let's get to it.

Russia's Mark Vologdin started strong in his bantamweight fight with the much taller Borislav Nikolic, but gradually lost control of the contest as his opponent established his range and got to work on the ground. By the waning moments of round three, he was barely hanging on. Amazingly, he survived to the final bell, but after Nikolic's absolutely vicious assault through the final five minutes, there could be no other outcome than a decision win for the Serbian.

That marks a successful UFC debut for Nikolic, who is now 17-2 overall. He's definitely got a lot to work on, but he has some good tools, and is clearly very tough—just like the man he beat in Belgrade.

Both fighters are the current frontrunners for tonight's Fight of the Night honors, clearly.

Up next, we head to the bantamweight division, where Russia's Mark Vologdin will take on Borislav Nikolic of Serbia.

Vologdin (12-4-2) lost his UFC debut, and as the shortest bantamweight on the roster, will have some physical disadvantages to navigate against the local hero Nikolic (16-2), who is making his debut with the promotion.

The streak of first-round finishes ended with Bogdan Grad and Dennis Buzukja's featherweight fight. However, the bout still didn't make it to the scorecards, as Grad tapped Buzukja with an head and arm choke in round two.

At least, that's what the record books will say.

Immediately after referee Jason Herzog stopped the fight, Buzukja began protesting the stoppage, arguing he didn't actually tap. He definitely seemed to tap in real-time, but the replay left some room for debate, as he may have been trying to push his opponent's thigh away.

"I didn't feel it," Grad admitted post-fight interview. "But the referees here are pros."

Whatever the case, it goes down as a win for Grad, who got one of the loudest receptions of the Belgrade card so far. He's now back in the win column after two straight losses. His record now stands at 16-4.

The next bout on Saturday's card will be contested at featherweight, as Romania's Bogdan Grad (15-4) takes on Dennis Buzukja (12-6), who visits Europe from Staten Island, with former bantamweight champ Aljamain Sterling in his corner. Both guys have lost two straight, so the pressure is on.

Their walkouts start now. Let's get to it.

The first-round stoppages keep coming in Belgrade!

In the fourth bout of the night, Poland's Mateusz Rebecki scored a sorely needed victory, taking his opponent Kyle Prepolec down early in round one, and drowning him under a torrent of ground-and-pound. It wasn't the kind of wild brawl we've come to expect from the Polish lightweight, but after three straight losses, it was just the kind of performance he needed. It may have actually saved his job with the UFC.

As for Prepolec, who has now lost three straight himself, the future looks fairly bleak...

After three straight first-round stoppages to kick things off, we move on to a fan-friendly lightweight clash pitting Poland's Mateusz Rebecki (20-5) against Serbian-Canadian Kyle Prepolec (18-10).

Both men have a lot of high-level experience, having taken on the likes of Grant Dawson, Ludovit Klein, Drew Dober and Benoit Saint Denis in their last few fights. However, both men have struggled to get the results they want, with Rebecki riding three losses, and Prepolec losing his last two.

In an era of frequent UFC roster trimming, their jobs could be on the line. Regardless, it should be a fun fight.

Just minutes after Jovan Leka's vicious, first-round body-kick stoppage of Alexander Poppeck, Nina Milosevic scored a very similar win at the expense of Hailey Cowan. In her case, it was a pair of first-round punches to the body that sealed the deal, but the finish was no less impressive, and it generated just as big a pop from the Belgrade crowd.

In victory, Milosevic is now an impressive 9-1 overall, with nine straight wins behind her. She is definitely a welcome addition to the women's bantamweight division, which is one of the weakest division's in the UFC right now.

Up next, we head to the women's bantamweight division, where Serbia's Nina Milosevic takes on visiting American Hailey Cowan.

Milosevic (8-1) will be making her UFC debut after winning every fight she's had except her pro debut.

Cowan (7-5) is most likely fighting her job, having lost her last three fights in the Octagon, including one where she missed weight. Pressure's on.

Serbia's Jovan Leka made quick work of Alexander Poppeck in our second fight of the night. While he didn't do much of anything for the first few minutes, he eventually uncorked a liver kick from hell, immediately folding his much smaller opponent in half to the roar of the Belgrade crowd. Seconds later, the referee was waving it off.

Absolutely brutal stuff from the Serbian heavyweight, who is now 14-2 overall and 1-0 in the UFC.

Can he follow in the steps of Josh Hokit, Gable Steveson, Brando Pericic and Valter Walker and continue to pump oxygen into the long stagnant heavyweight division? Time will tell...

Things did not go well for the first Serbian fighter to compete on Saturday's card, but Jovan Leka will soon look to get things on track for the country, as he takes on Germany's Alexander Poppeck at heavyweight.

Both guys are making their UFC debuts, and Poppeck will do so on short notice, having replaced the injured Max Gimenis. The German also weighed in over 50 pounds lighter than his opponent, which could obviously be a massive factor in the outcome of this one.

You never really know what you're in for when two unranked heavyweights collide in the Octagon. We'll find out what these two are all about shortly.

Marina Spasic's UFC debut in her home country of Serbia did not go as planned. In fact, it was a bit of a disaster. After landing some nice shots on the feet in the early moments of round one, she was taken down and promptly tapped out by her Brazilian opponent Stephanie Luciano.

The win brings Luciano, a former Jungle Fights champ, to 8-2-1 overall, and 3-1 in the UFC.

Not bad at all considering she's just 26.

The UFC's first show in Serbia will kick off in about 10 minutes.

There will be Serbians competing in the first three bouts of the night, and a Serbian-Canadian in the fourth, so the local fans will have plenty to get excited about in the early going.

First up, we've got a strawweight clash pitting Siberia's Marina Spasic against visiting Brazilian Stephanie Luciano. Spasic is 7-1 with 6 of her wins coming by way of strikes, and will be making her UFC debut. Luciano is 7-2-1, and despite her relative inexperience, already has a 2-1 UFC record. Both women seem to have potential.

They will start swinging shortly.