Uros Medic reveals knee injury before UFC Belgrade win
The Serbian lightweight suffered the injury during fight week but went through with his homecoming bout and now expects to undergo surgery.
At the beginning of this month, Uros Medic put on a show in his home country. In the main event of the first UFC event held in Serbia, "The Doctor" defeated Daniel Rodriguez by TKO in just 30 seconds of the opening round to extend his winning streak to four fights. What many people didn't know, however, is that the Serbian fighter was dealing with a knee injury coming into the bout.
Days before facing Rodriguez, Medic suffered a knee injury during a training session and decided to fight anyway. Now, with the diagnosis in hand, the Serbian has revealed he will need to undergo knee surgery.
Uros Medic Suffered Knee Injury Before UFC Belgrade
Less than a week before UFC Belgrade, Medic was warming up during a regular training session when he felt a pop in his knee. The Serbian was examined by doctors at the UFC Performance Institute and was told he most likely had suffered a meniscus injury.
"Honestly, we were just warming up, and my knee popped out of place and was like, 'Whoa, what is this?' I tried to straighten my leg out, and it popped back in," Medic told MMA Junkie. "Straight away I started to fill with liquid and started to swell. I'm like, 'What the f*ck is happening?' I did a check-up with the PI to see what's happening, and they're like, 'Your ACL is fine. It looks most likely like a meniscus injury.'"
Uros Medic Fought Despite Injury
Despite knowing he was dealing with a possible knee injury that prevented him from training normally during the final days of his camp, Medic never considered pulling out of the fight. Instead, the Serbian received around-the-clock treatment from the PI staff to make it to fight night.
"It scared me; it scared everybody," Medic said. "We were just sitting there like, 'Guys, listen, we're going into this fight even if it means with one leg. I'm going to fight this fight. I've gone to hell and back to return to my country, and I'm going in there.'"
Medic was also concerned that Rodriguez could find out about his injury and use it to his advantage. According to the Serbian, he arrived at fight week limping but did his best to conceal the problem from his opponent.
Uros Medic Expects Surgery
After extending his winning streak to four fights, Medic will now have to focus on recovering from his knee injury. The Serbian fighter has revealed he will need surgery but still expects to return to the Octagon before the end of the year.
"The doctor said that it needs a surgery. [...] I'm going to be back there on Monday, and I'll probably do it as soon as possible so I can recover right away and get in there before the year is over."
Despite the injury, Medic was able to deliver a quick finish in his homecoming fight and leave UFC Belgrade with another victory on his record. Now, the Serbian will turn his attention to recovering from surgery as he looks to make another appearance before the end of 2026.
