UFC Belgrade saw Uros Medic return home for the first time in roughly a decade, and it turned out to be a profitable trip for the welterweight.
Medic, living and training in the U.S. for years, headlined opposite Daniel Rodriguez to close out the UFC’s inaugural event in Serbia. And in front of 18,000 or so fans at the Belgrade Arena, almost all chanting his name, Medic put away “D-Rod” in all of thirty seconds, dropping him with a punch then raining down fury.
That homecoming was enough to pocket “The Doctor” one of four $100,000 Performance of the Night bonuses awarded on Saturday. No Fight of the Night was handed out.
The remaining bonus money went to Navajo Stirling, Gilbert Urbina, and Nina Nikolija Milošević. Stirling, a short-notice addition to the co-main event, survived the “Polish Power” of Jan Blachowicz, and wound up knocking out the former light heavyweight champion instead. Urbina spoiled the debut of Vlasto Cepo, while Milošević folded Hailey Cowan with body shots.
In addition to those four bonus winners, Stephanie Luciano, Jovan Leka, Mateusz Rebecki, Michael Oliveira, Tofiq Musayev, Noah Gugnon, and Robert Valentin all picked up $25,000 for finishing their respective bouts. There were 12 finishes on the UFC Belgrade card in total, with only two fights going to the judges.
Those 12 finishes are a UFC record, with ten coming in the first round – also a record in the promotion.
