The UFC Belgrade aftermath is upon us, and the organization now has two potential stars on its hands. In addition to the fighters who made a name for themselves on the card, there are also popular fighters who could make the jump to the UFC.
With an entertaining card of fights in the rear view, here are three things the UFC should do after Belgrade.
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Match Uroš Medić Against A Top 10 Welterweight
Aug 1, 2026; Belgrade, Serbia; Uros Medic reacts after beating Daniel Rodriguez (not shown) during UFC Fight Night at Belgrade Arena. Mandatory Credit: Per Haljestam-Imagn Images
The main event of UFC Belgrade saw Uroš Medić knock out Daniel Rodriguez 30 seconds into the first round. This win extended his winning streak to four, with all four victories coming from a first-round knockout, and improved his record to 14-3.
After an up-and-down 4-3 start to his UFC career, Medić has become one of the most dangerous welterweights on the planet. In his last four fights, he has a total fight time of 3:55.
Given his rapid development and knockout prowess, the UFC needs to match Medić with a higher-ranked opponent to test him in deeper waters.
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Following the win against Rodriguez, Medić called out Carlos Prates and Leon Edwards. While a fight with Prates is very unlikely, a future bout with Edwards could be possible.
“I asked for Leon Edwards. I think he’s still in hiding,” said Medić. “If he decides to come out of the hole he shoved himself into, I’ll be gladly next to knock him out”.
A fight with Edwards would be perfect for Medić’s career. Edwards is currently ranked 8th in the welterweight division, whereas Medić is ranked 14th.
This fight would offer Medić an opportunity to face a well-respected veteran to continue his meteoric rise. Meanwhile, for Edwards, the fight would allow him the chance to earn a much-needed victory, as he has lost his last three bouts.
Book Navajo Stirling Against A Former Champion
Aug 1, 2026; Belgrade, Serbia; Navajo Stirling celebrates his win over Jan Błachowicz (not shown) during UFC Fight Night at Belgrade Arena. Mandatory Credit: Per Haljestam-Imagn Images
In the co-main event of UFC Belgrade, Navajo Stirling continued his impressive undefeated run as he knocked out Jan Błachowicz in the first round. This KO victory is Stirling’s third of the year and improves his record to 11-0.
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Stirling took this fight on short notice, as Błachowicz’s original opponent, Bogdan Guskov, stepped in to fight Magomed Ankalaev on short notice last week.
By defeating the 4th-ranked light heavyweight in the UFC, Stirling should fight a former champion to continue his rise up the rankings. Matchups against Jiří Procházka or Ankalaev would be fights that help determine a future title contender. There is also a chance that Alex Pereira drops back down to 205, so a bout against him may also be on the table.
Unfortunately, there is a problem with Stirling’s future matchmaking, as he doesn’t want to fight the current champion, Carlos Ulberg, or Robert Whittaker.
“Rob and Carlos are the best. I don’t want to fight either of them,” said Stirling. “I think we all are on the same page. I’m still young enough to help Carlos solidify himself as champion”.
Stirling, Ulberg, and Whittaker are all teammates, as they train together at City Kickboxing gym in New Zealand.
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With Stirling’s displeasure in fighting his teammates, the light heavyweight division may be headed to a similar situation to that of the bantamweight division. Back in 2021, Aljamain Sterling won the bantamweight championship but refused to fight his title contender teammate, Merab Dvalishvili. Instead of fighting each other, Merab defeated other top contenders until Sterling lost the championship and left the division.
Unlike the Dvalishvili-Sterling instance, if Ulberg does eventually lose the title, he may not move up to heavyweight. The jump from light heavyweight to heavyweight is more drastic than the jump from bantamweight to featherweight, so Stirling may have to wait a while before getting a title opportunity.
Sign Usman Nurmagomedov Immediately
Jan 18, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Khabib Nurmagomedov ringside during UFC 311 at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
One of the most popular fighters outside of the UFC is officially a free agent, as Usman Nurmagomedov has finished up his contract with the PFL (Professional Fighters League). He does so by knocking out Archie Colgan and defending his lightweight championship for the third time.
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Nurmagomedov is the brother of UFC bantamweight Umar Nurmagomedov and the cousin of MMA legend Khabib Nurmagomedov. He is also the longtime training partner of UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev.
At only 28 years old, Usman has established himself as one of the most dominant fighters at lightweight. He is undefeated with a 22- 0 record and has become champion in two promotions (Bellator and PFL). Out of his 22 fights, 16 have ended by stoppage, with 9 KOs and 7 submission victories.
The UFC has to get Nurmagomedov into the organization, as he could become a star within the already stacked lightweight division. There are potential rivalries to explore within the weight class, such as with Ilia Topuria.
Topuria wanted to fight Makhachev, but when he moved up to lightweight, Makhachev decided to move up to welterweight. With the opportunity for that fight being passed by, Topuria could find himself fighting Islam’s undefeated teammate instead.
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Additionally, current lightweight champion Justin Gaethje has hinted at retiring from the sport soon. Nurmagomedov could function as a replacement for Gaethje at the top of the division.
Dana White has also expressed interest by confirming that Nurmagomedov is a fighter he would like to see in the company.
White and the UFC will have some competition for Nurmagomedov. PFL and MVP (Most Valuable Promotions) have recently merged, so it is expected that they will put up a fight to keep Usman under the promotion.
If White manages to land Nurmagomedov, throwing him towards the top of the division may be a rushed decision. Instead, matchups against fighters in the top 15, such as Beniel Dariush and Manuel Torres, would be better to get the hopeful star established in the organization.
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End Of My UFC Belgrade Aftermath Rant
UFC Belgrade continues the company’s streak of entertaining events. This one, however, leaves them with two potential stars with finishing abilities that may eventually lead them to contend for a title opportunity.
Both Medić and Stirling could prove to be top contenders in their weight class by fighting higher-level opponents in their next bouts.
Additionally, the UFC shouldn’t wait and watch a free-agent talent like Nurmagomedov sit available for much longer. If they play their cards right, White and the UFC could have three new stars to build around on their hands.
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The post UFC Belgrade Aftermath: 3 Bold Moves To Make For Medić, Stirling & More appeared first on Stadium Rant.
