Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was in Serbia for the first time yesterday (Sat., Aug. 1, 2026) to stage UFC Belgrade from inside Belgrade Arena in Belgrade, Serbia. In the main event of the evening, Uros Medic knocked out Daniel Rodriguez in just 30 seconds, his fourth straight such win (see it again here). In the co-main event, Navajo Stirling destroyed Jan Blachowicz in the first round to lock down the biggest win of his career (highlights), while Gilbert Urbina upset hometown favorite, Vlasto Cepo, with a first round stoppage of his own (see it again here).
BELGRADE, SERBIA – AUGUST 01: Uros Medic of Serbia reacts after a victory against Daniel Rodriguez in a welterweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Belgrade Arena on August 01, 2026 in Belgrade, Serbia. (Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC)
Winner: Uros Medic
Who He Should Face Next: Leon Edwards
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Medic can expect a huge bump in the rankings after locking down his fourth straight first-round knockout win. After his latest epic performance he once again called for a fight against former Welterweight champion, Leon Edwards. Normally, that fight wouldn’t make sense given their body over work over the last few years. While Medic is on a hot streak, Edwards has never been colder, losing his last three fights. That said, “Rocky” is still ranked No. 8 in the division. On that note, Medic has earned the right to call his shot; therefore, if he wants Edwards, I wouldn’t mind if matchmakers gave him what he wanted. If he he can manage to dispose of Edwards as impressively as he’s been doing his previous foes, a Top 5 ranking is in order.
BELGRADE, SERBIA – AUGUST 01: Navajo Stirling of New Zealand reacts after a victory against Jan Blachowicz of Poland in a light heavyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Belgrade Arena on August 01, 2026 in Belgrade, Serbia. (Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC)
Winner: Navajo Stirling
Who He Should Face Next: Paulo Costa
Stirling pulled off a huge upset after dismantling a former 205-pound champion in Blachowicz, who is currently ranked No. 4 in the division. Stirling will be in the Top 10 come next week, and his stock will rise, giving him big matches moving forward so a fight against Costa sounds appealing. Costa made a successful return to Light Heavyweight with a win over Azamat Murzakanov at UFC 327, and already has his sights set on a title fight. That’s a bit too quick for my liking because it’s his first win in the division. If Stirling can get another win against another fighter with championship experience, then his own path to a title fight gets shorter.
BELGRADE, SERBIA – AUGUST 01: Aleksandar Rakic of Austria reacts after a victory against Marcin Tybura of Poland in a heavyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Belgrade Arena on August 01, 2026 in Belgrade, Serbia. (Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC)
Winner: Aleksandar Rakic
Who He Should Face Next: Ante Delija
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Rakic snapped his four-fight losing streak after making a successful jump up to Heavyweight, defeating Marcin Tybura via unanimous decision. Tybura was ranked No. 12 coming into the fight, so we can expect Rakic to take over that position. I wouldn’t mind seeing him face off against Delija next. The former PFL big man has had a rough go of it since making the jump over to UFC, losing his last two fights after an impressive knockout debut against the aforementioned Tybura (highlights). This would be a good challenge for Rakic in his second fight in the division before he starts getting Top 10 competition.
BELGRADE, SERBIA – AUGUST 01: Robert Valentin of Switzerland reacts after a submission victory against Dusko Todorovic of Montenegro in a middleweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Belgrade Arena on August 01, 2026 in Belgrade, Serbia. (Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC)
Winner: Robert Valentin
Who He Should Face Next: Cody Brundage
After three straight losses to kick off his UFC career, Valentin has now won two straight after defeating Dusko Todorovic via first round submission. Valentin has a long way to go before he can start making an impact on the division and make a case for the rankings, so slow and steady will be the name of the game, as well as patience. Up next, I like a fight against Brundage, who recently snapped his three-fight losing streak by locking down a second round knockout win over Andre Petroski earlier this year.
BELGRADE, SERBIA – AUGUST 01: (R-L) Gilbert Urbina punches Vlasto Cepo of Serbia in a middleweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Belgrade Arena on August 01, 2026 in Belgrade, Serbia. (Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC)
Winner: Gilbert Urbina
Who He Should Face Next: Edmen Shahbazyan
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Urbina snapped his two-fight losing streak, securing a first round knockout win of his own over Vlasto Cepo (see it here), earning him a nice $100,000 post-fight bonus check. Prior to the win, Urbina had been knocked in the first round in his previous two outings so the win was a welcomed site. Shahbazyan, meanwhile, had his three-fight win streak snapped at the hands of Brendan Allen last month, so let’s pair him up against Urbina to see if he can get back on track. For Urbina, a win over Shahbazyan would be a decent notch on his belt.
