A historic night is soon upon us: UFC Belgrade and what to expect
For the first time the UFC will be coming to Serbia, and fans across the country are excited.
UFC Belgrade is historic event for the MMA community, in a country that accepted this sport only a few years back. Now Belgrade Arena will host the biggest combat sports show on Aug. 1, featuring some of the best fighters this country has to offer.
Two weeks remain until the first UFC Fight Night card in Serbia featuring Medić vs. Rodriguez. People are eagerly waiting for the biggest show on the planet to begin, and the indicator of that is the tickets. "Tickets.rs," the company responsible for selling them, stated that sales broke every record and that every seat in the arena was occupied in just a few days from the moment tickets were available.
UFC Belgrade Expected to Feature Roaring Crowd
Serbia is widely known as a country with one of the best atmospheres in the world when it comes to sports. Basketball clubs from Serbia hold numerous top spots when it comes to attendance, often times breaking the seat limit of Belgrade Arena. Combine that with one of the loudest crowds in Europe, and you get a perfect setting for something like a UFC event.
Mixed martial arts was never that popular in Sebia. The MMA Federation of Serbia was founded only in 2014. However, in a span of 10 years, the sport became so popular that regional promotion FNC recorded around 17,000 people in attendance in March 2025.
Fighters became true stars, often going on talk shows, live streams, commercials, and some of them even started their own podcasts, which are some of the most popular in the Balkans.
Serbian Debutantes, Contenders On the Way for UFC Belgrade
The biggest Serbian star today is most definitely Uroš "The Doctor" Medić. After carving his way up the ladder, Medić got a chance against Geoff Neal on UFC Fight Night 267, and "The Doctor" didn't disappoint. After just one minute and 20 seconds, the Serbian knocked the 35-year-old out cold, earning himself a spot on the rankings.
After the match, he called out Leon Edwards and asked the UFC to book their fight in Belgrade. Unfortunately, Medić didn't get the opponent he wanted, but he got the chance to fight in his home country against Daniel Rodriguez in the main event.
Aleksandar Rakić will be looking to break his 4-fight losing streak against Marcin Tybura in the co-main event. The last win for the "Rocket" came in March 2021. against Thiago Santos. Since then, Rakić lost to Blachowicz, Prochazka, Ankalaev, and Murzakanov. Now facing the 40-year-old Polish veteran, some would say this is the last chance for Aleksandar to make a comeback.
Dusko Todorovic Looking to Return to Victory Lane
Looking to start a new winning streak will be Duško Todorović. After having a rough period with three consecutive defeats and a knee injury, Duško Todorovic finally secured a win last year in September versus Jose Daniel Medina. Todorović came as an undefeated fighter, but his UFC career wasn't as easy.
On top of his 3-6 record in the world's top promotion, his constant fight with injuries didn't help when it comes to improvement. Now faced with Robert Valentin, the "Thunder" is looking to win twice in a row for the first time in his UFC career.
New Faces in UFC Belgrade
Vlastislav Čepo will be making his UFC debut in the middleweight division against Gilbert Urbina. Čepo made his name in FNC, Oktagon, and other smaller promotions by being a lethal finisher; out of his 14 wins, 10 came by KO or TKO, and 4 came via submission. An interesting fact is Urbina got knocked out by Medić in the first round last year in August.
Another new face will make his walk into the octagon on Aug. 1. Jovan Leka earned his spot through Dana White's Contender Series in 2025. with a decision win over Azamat Nuftillaev. Now a 24-year-old heavyweight will face a Brazilian fighter, Max Gimenis, who lost last year against Josh Hokit via first-round TKO.
First Two Women to Represent Serbia in UFC do Battle in UFC Belgrade
Another historical moment for Serbian MMA will happen on this Fight Night. Nikolija Milošević and Marina Spasić will become the first female fighters from Serbia to compete in the world's best promotion. Both of them share a similar record: Milosevic has eight wins and one loss, while Spasic has seven wins and one loss.
