Hailey Cowan welcomed Nina Nikolija Milosevic to the octagon at UFC Belgrade on Saturday, in a women’s bantamweight fight.
One of several newcomers on the Fight Night card in Belgrade, Serbia, Milosevic had won eight straight fights and was unbeaten since her pro debut in 2023. Cowan, in contract, was 0-3 under the UFC banner, and desperately needed a win.
The win was not forthcoming on Saturday. Instead, Cowan was victim to a couple of well-placed body shots, the second straight fighter on the UFC Belgrade card to go down due to blows to the body.
Round one started with neither girl eager to show their cards too early. Cowan was getting the better of the striking exchanges in the opening moments, as Milosevic was failing to move her head as much. Milosevic was patient, but one shot at a time wasn’t giving Cowan many issues. The thing was, as she was throwing in singles, she was mixing it up. Milosevic landed a nicely placed straight right to the body, and Cowan was visibly hurt. She took another one right to the same area, and Cowan scrambled, falling backwards over herself and curling up protectively. That was enough for the ref, who waved it up, giving a fired-up Milosevic a big win at home in her promotional debut.
Official Result: Nina Nikolija Milosevic def. Hailey Cowan via TKO (body shot), Round 1, 3:41
