"Puts a stain" - Uros Medic opens up about Daniel Rodriguez's Mexican prison term before UFC Belgrade fight

Uros Medic has addressed his welterweight counterpart Daniel Rodriguez's much-discussed prison term in Mexico. He suggested that the imprisonment was likely due to a fault on Rodriguez's part. 

Nevertheless, "The Doctor" expressed that he wishes the best for his American opponent, but not before emphasizing that such run-ins with the law cast a bad light on the sport of MMA. 

Medic and Rodriguez are booked to clash in a five-round welterweight showdown, which would serve as the main event for UFC Belgrade on Medic's home turf in Belgrade, Serbia, on August 1. 

Uros Medic emphasizes the need for professionalism to better represent MMA, imparts thoughts on Daniel Rodriguez's arrest and prison term

During a recent conversation with Mike Heck for MMA Fighting, Uros Medic was asked for his views regarding Daniel Rodriguez's prison stint that reportedly lasted for eight months.

"D-Rod" has himself been quite vocal about the scary stay in the Mexican prison, which was preceded by his being arrested for marijuana possession while traveling from San Diego to Tijuana. He'd driven down to celebrate his famous points win in a three-round UFC classic against Kevin Holland, whom he beat in July of last year. 

The celebrations went awry, however, as he was embattled by legal issues over marijuana possession as a foreigner, as he was an American citizen caught with the drug in Mexico. Thankfully, he was released from prison earlier this year, avoiding a lengthier stay behind bars. 

Speaking to Heck, Uros Medic indicated that it was an unfortunate situation but MMA fighters ought to be cautious, as the media has a penchant for painting them in a bad light. The Serbian combatant stated: 

"It's unfortunate that he had to go through stuff like that. Obviously, it was probably his fault. And I think that type of stuff puts a stain on all of our names, on all of the fighters' names. Media cannot wait to write another bad story about an MMA fighter."

Implying that he steers clear of substance abuse and ensures he isn't in conflict with the law, the 33-year-old said: 

"So I don't buy into any of that. I don't feed into any of that. I'm not the type of fighter that's going to be a controversial person like that and have trouble with the law, trouble with drugs, substance abuse, or anything like that. I don't buy into that." 

He added, "I'm a professional athlete. I carry myself professionally. I study. I try to act accordingly. Obviously, I'm no saint. But you won't see me in the news getting arrested. At least I hope so. I mean, I never try to, but you never know with that type of stuff." 

The KO artist asserted that he wishes Rodriguez well but would be looking to hurt him when they clash inside the octagon this Saturday. 

Watch Uros Medic discuss Daniel Rodriguez's Mexican prison term below: 

Uros Medic is on a three-fight knockout streak, could bag a top 10 matchup by beating Daniel Rodriguez at UFC Belgrade

Uros Medic boasts a professional MMA record of 13-3, with 11 of his wins coming via KO/TKO and two by submission. As for his defeats, he's been stopped by way of KO/TKO once and been submitted twice.

He's deemed to be a high-octane fighter by many and is yet to have a fight go the distance in his career. 

Even Daniel Rodriguez -- who's considered to be an excellent striker, particularly feared for his tenacious boxing prowess -- recently gave props to his fellow striking maestro for his combat skills.

The Californian is ranked No. 13, while Medic stands at No. 14, in the official Meta UFC rankings. 

Furthermore, Rodriguez is on a three-fight win streak and has been eyeing a clash against former welterweight titlist Leon Edwards for quite some time. In a nutshell, the consensus is that the winner of the UFC Belgrade headliner is likely to secure a fight against a top 10-ranked opponent next time around.