As a result, the bout had shifted to a 130lb catchweight, with 2025 Contender Series winner Chapolin making his debut with all of three days warning.

When the fight started, Johnson went for an early takedown, but Chapolin defended it with ease. Chapolin then began chopping at Johnson’s lead leg, forcing Johnson to shoot again. The Brazilian defended once more, which was an important early success. Chapolin continued attacking the leg, clearly looking to slow down Johnson’s quick-twitch movement.

Johnson was doing a lot of moving, landing short strikes one at a time while staying elusive. Chapolin eventually hit a beautiful foot-sweep takedown, but landed an illegal knee while Johnson was grounded. The referee deducted a point, but Johnson was able to continue. In the final seconds, Johnson ducked under a head kick and closed the round with another takedown attempt and a flurry of punches. It was a strange round that likely goes down as a 9-9.

Round two started with Chapolin inching forward and cutting off the cage as he looked to track Johnson down. Johnson did a good job moving laterally and getting off the centerline, using plenty of feints to keep Chapolin guessing. However, that confidence caught up with him when he got clipped by a left hook and dropped. Before that, Chapolin had already done significant damage to Johnson’s lead leg.

Johnson was in serious trouble midway through the round as Chapolin maintained a relentless pace. Johnson kept stumbling around the cage, but he continued moving and making the fight awkward enough to survive. With about a minute remaining, Chapolin appeared to be slowing down. Johnson began picking up his volume, although Chapolin never stopped throwing. Johnson missed a takedown attempt to end the round but landed a solid combination that gave the judges plenty to think about.

Heading into the third, it was difficult to know how the judges had the fight scored, leaving everything up in the air.

The final round began with Chapolin once again attacking the legs, but Johnson looked like he was on a mission. Johnson hurt Chapolin with a teep, prompting Chapolin to shoot for a takedown. Johnson defended and immediately took Chapolin’s back. As Chapolin tried to turn into him, Johnson adjusted beautifully and locked up a brutal Scottish Twister. It was an incredibly painful submission, and Chapolin had no choice but to tap.

An impressive win, and a solid post-fight interview from Johnson, who sent his condolences to Chute Box on the passing of Allan Nascimento. Original opponent Jose Ochoa was one of many Chute Box fighters grieving the loss of Nascimento.

Official Result: Charles Johnson def. Eduardo Chapolin by submission (Scottish Twister), Round 3, 1:36

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The all-Brazilian match-up saw Fernando, an LFA champ who had defended his belt there twice, jump straight to the UFC and bypass the Contender Series. Tobias had gone through the show, only to lose his debut, leaving him still in search of his first UFC victory.

Fernando started hot, attacking with kicks to the body and head before catching Tobias with a right hand. He applied pressure immediately, mixing his attacks well. He whiffed on a wheel kick but followed it up with a nice combination to the body. Fernando was fighting behind his kicks extremely well, constantly going low and to the body and giving Tobias a lot to think about. He wasn’t neglecting his hands either, mixing in the jab and one-two.

In the clinch, Tobias had an opportunity to potentially get Fernando down but instead ate a brutal knee to the body. Back at range, Fernando landed another hard body kick and calf kick. Tobias eventually caught one of the kicks and put Fernando on his back, but he did nothing with the position. Fernando quickly worked his way back to his feet before the bell.

Fernando opened the second round with three hard calf kicks before landing a jab that sat Tobias down. He welcomed Tobias back to his feet with a big right hand and then narrowly missed on another wheel kick. Things settled down from there, with Fernando continuing to slowly pick Tobias apart.

He kept looking for the head kick, but he was at his best when keeping things basic. By this point, Tobias looked completely lost, struggling to get anything going. Fernando mixed his attacks so well and attacked all three levels that Tobias simply froze.

Going into the third round, Tobias needed to find some kind of miracle. He came out with an early flurry, but Fernando soon had him stuck at range again with the leg kicks and jab. One leg kick actually buckled Tobias, but Fernando didn’t rush in looking for the finish. Shortly after, though, he landed a nasty knee to the body. Tobias had enough, and the fight was over after a few more strikes, mainly elbows, rained down.

Official Result: Lucas Fernando def. Rafael Tobias by TKO (knee to body and elbows), Round 3, 1:10

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Brazil’s Montanha had won three straight, while Sutherland was coming off his first UFC victory, opposite Tai Tuivasa. That left Montanha as the underdog, despite Suthland’s losing record in the UFC.

The fight started with both guys engaging early and tying up a minute in. Montanha was able to get a knee tap, taking Sutherland down. Montanha landed in side control. Sutherland tried to scramble up, and Montanha took the back. Montanha didn’t even have the choke in, as it was a face crank that forced Sutherland to tap. Replay showed that Montanha was actually switching his grip on the hold while Sutherland tapped.

“I wish that my father could be here to see me,” Montanha said following the fight. “I was a karate guy all along, so I was ready for striking. I was very surprised when he chose to go to the ground,” he added, stating that he has the grappling and jiu-jitsu needed.

Montanha improves to 7-1 overall with the victory, while Sutherland drops to 11-6, with a 1-3 record under the UFC banner.

Official Result: Jose Montanha def. Louie Sutherland by submission (face crank), Round 1, 1:50

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Miranda had taken the long road to the UFC, defending his LFA belt twice, though he was at least getting to skip the Contender Series. Sousa had won his own promotional debut last time out.

The first action of the fight came from a heavy left hand by Sousa, who was looking to make the fight happen in close quarters. When there was more space, Miranda did land a long left hand. Sousa would eventually overswing on a punch and throw himself off balance, allowing Miranda to secure the takedown.

Miranda took Sousa’s back and immediately got to work. He secured both hooks and stayed busy with ground-and-pound. Sousa did a good job staying safe by fighting the wrists, but Miranda eventually abandoned the submission attempt and started landing some heavy ground-and-pound until the bell. Sousa did manage to get back to his feet at the bell, but it was a difficult round for him.

Round two started with a heavy leg kick from Sousa. Miranda was already hurt to that leg coming into the round, and Sousa was immediately all over it. He began attacking the lead leg consistently, which had Miranda desperately shooting for takedowns. Miranda would shoot, Sousa would defend, and then Sousa would start ripping into Miranda against the cage.

Two minutes in, Miranda was in full retreat, seemingly hoping to buy himself some time to recover. Sousa was patient and waited for his opportunities. A few inside leg kicks followed by a body shot dropped Miranda. Miranda showed great heart, grabbing onto Sousa to survive the moment, but he couldn’t get him down or hold onto him for long.

With thirty seconds left, Sousa was swinging for the fences. He clipped Miranda with a couple of powerful hooks before landing another heavy leg kick at the bell. Heading into the final round, it was one round apiece, but all of the momentum was with Sousa.

The third round started with both fighters whiffing on some early strikes. It wasn’t long before Sousa began finding his range. He landed several good leg kicks along with a heavy left hook that got Miranda’s attention. Sousa continued mixing in a lot of cage work, which seemed to give Miranda more time to breathe than anything else.

Back at range, Sousa landed another heavy leg kick and sprawled on a takedown attempt. The Brazilian continued pushing forward and kept Miranda on his back foot. With a little over a minute remaining, Sousa was firmly in control. Miranda landed some nice shots of his own, but they weren’t having the same impact as Sousa’s offense.

With thirty seconds left, Miranda got deep on a takedown attempt, but Sousa defended and stayed upright until the final bell. A less resilient fighter might have gone down early, but Miranda at least took it to the bell. The hard-hitting Sousa, however, took home the unanimous decision win.

Official Result: Manoel Sousa def. Richie Miranda by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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Foro was also making her promotional debut, 11 months after winning a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series.

The fight started with a hard outside leg kick from Foro, followed by another soon after. She was already attacking all three levels, mixing her shots between the body and head. Foro was doing a nice job with her left hand, consistently finding the head and body. Surprisingly, Canuto chose to stand and trade early, and she was getting chewed up for it. Foro eventually stunned her with a left hook.

Canuto recovered and finally shot for a takedown, but it wasn’t particularly close. She wasn’t landing much in the first round outside of a few calf kicks that didn’t seem to have much effect. She would land during exchanges, but going punch-for-punch with Foro was not a good idea. At range, Foro was ripping the body and pouring on the pressure. In the final seconds, she landed some big shots clean on the chin to close out a dominant first round.

Canuto clearly needed a takedown in the second round to swing the momentum back in her favor, and she came out with a nice right hand into a level change. She got Foro down, and as Foro scrambled back up, she gave up her back. Canuto was immediately in her world, locking in a body triangle and threatening the choke. Foro worked her way to her knees while fighting the wrist, and Canuto landed some soft punches from the back. Foro was completely focused on defending the submission, which allowed Canuto to land a steady stream of unanswered ground-and-pound.

Canuto released the body triangle late in the round to hunt for a kimura, but she ran out of time. Heading into the third, the fight was clearly evened up, and both fighters knew exactly where they wanted it.

Just 20 seconds into the round, Canuto didn’t like the pressure and shot for another takedown. She came close, but Foro defended and immediately went back to marching forward. Foro was letting her hands do the talking, really putting it on Canuto. Canuto shot again but couldn’t keep Foro down for long.

With the takedowns not coming, Canuto was being forced to brawl, and Foro was happy to oblige. Canuto was still landing, but she was visibly tired and her hands were starting to drop. She became aggressive with a single-leg attempt against the cage, but Foro defended extremely well while landing some nasty elbows to the side of the head.

Canuto dug deep, cut the corner, and finally secured the takedown. Foro was suddenly in serious danger as Canuto locked in a fully extended armbar. Somehow, Foro escaped, and the two went back to swinging until the final bell in an insanely fun fight to start the card.

Foro would come away with the decision, later admitting that Canuto was the most technical opponent she had ever faced.

Official Result: Carol Foro def. Gigi Canuto by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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The Ultimate Fighter 29 finalist Urbina was just 1-3 in the UFC and had lost his last two. Coincidentally, that last defeat had come nearly a year ago, at the hands of UFC Belgrade headliner Uros Medic. That had come at welterweight; Urbina was making the move back to 185lbs to face Cepo, a Serbian Oktagon MMA veteran.

The fight started with Cepo getting right after it. He was letting his hands go swinging for the fences. He also wasn’t concerned about defense  seemingly at all, as he got cracked by Urbina with a straight left. That dropped Cepo, who hit the deck as Urbina unloaded with ground n’ pound. Cepo had no answer, and the fight was over in short order.

A successful return to the middleweight division for Gilbert Urbina, who improves to 2-3 in the UFC and 8-4 overall with the win. Referencing his Mexican heritage, he told Serbian fans he brought “the Eagle” with him, and thanked the country for its hospitality.

Official Result: Gilbert Urbina def. Vlasto Cepo by TKO (right hand and ground n’ pound), Round 1, 1:01

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The lightweight fight found France’s Gugnon, a former Bellator and ARES FC athlete, riding a five-fight win streak, while Montenegro’s Janicic was fighting close to home having won two straight in MMA, plus three more in Dirty Boxing.

The UFC’s debut on Serbian soil featured nine newcomers and a small army of Serbian talent, yet while some had come up big on the preliminary card, things would not go as smoothly for Janicic.

When the fight started, Janicic came out with the jab up top and another to the body. Noah Gugnon landed a leg kick, and Janicic was clearly already feeling it. He took a few more of those, and Janicic couldn’t bear any more weight on it. Down he went. Instead of letting Janicic back up, Gugnon engaged on the ground. Although it seemed like a bad idea, he quickly took the back, getting hooks in. From there, Gugnon worked and found the rear-naked choke and soon enough it was all over!

A solid debut for Gugnon, who may now look for a quick turnaround given UFC Paris arrives in September.

Official Result: Noah Gugnon def. Milos Janicic by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 1:21

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Oliveira was 9-0 coming into the fight, while Elliott was 3-2 under the UFC banner and looking to shake off back-to-back losses. His backstory, with eight years of military service, and eight finishes to start the night made him a marketable addition to the roster.

All “PQD” had to do on Saturday was put on a big show, and Oliveira did exactly that. Big, and quick.

Oban Elliott started the fight with a right over the top, looking to get busy early. He’d add to that, landing another one soon after. Oliveira was heavily planted, taking the center, but ate another right hand from Elliott. Still, Oliveira was patient and used feints, and soon enough dropped Elliott with a light left jab. It was clear right away that Oliveira had massive power. Soon after, Oliveira landed a right over the top. He followed up with ground n’ pound, and Elliott could only take damage and wait for the ref to step in.

Exactly the sort of debut Michael Oliveira was looking for.

Official Result: Michael Oliveira def. Oban Elliott by TKO (right hand and ground n’ pound), Round 1, 1:49

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Nikolic was replacing Josias Musasa in the fight, and was a former Brave CF bantamweight champ.

Nikolic started the fight hot, heavy on the gas. That didn’t work out too well for him, as Vologdin cracked him with a short left hook. It dropped Nikolic, but he got back up quickly. Vologdin would land multiple knees with Nikolic stuck in a front choke, but Vologdin couldn’t put him away. When they broke, Nikolic raised his arms, firing up the crown. Nikolic was still coming forward, but Vologdin was doing a good job of catching him on the way in. Vologdin got a bit sloppy, missing on a kick and allowing Nikolic to score a takedown. Nikolic wasn’t able to hold him down for long, though.

Back at range, Vologdin was giving a few different looks. He was switching stances and throwing a ton of spinning kicks. None of those kicks came close, but his hands were landing. Again, as Nikolic came in, Vologdin beat him to the punch, buckling him to a knee. Vologdin ended the round by circling to the back before taking Nikolic to a knee against the cage.

Nikolic started round two the same way he started round one. He came out with a big flurry that had Vologdin covering up. Nikolic did over-pursue, almost getting taken down, but he landed on top for a moment. Vologdin threw another spinning body kick, but it was evident he was wasting too much energy on high-risk, low-reward strikes. Nikolic stayed heavy on the pressure throughout, throwing in bursts. Vologdin went for a takedown but was denied and slipped off another spinning kick. Nikolic landed a right hook and an uppercut, but Vologdin answered with a short right hand that seemed to stun Nikolic. Vologdin was doing better when the fight was coming to him, but he was making too many mistakes.

Going into the final round, it felt like anyone’s fight. Not even a minute in, Nikolic timed a leg kick from Vologdin and dropped him with a right hand. Vologdin immediately looked for a takedown but was almost caught in a front choke. He also ate a big knee and was clearly fighting from behind. He eventually pushed forward for another takedown, but as he completed it, Nikolic used the cage and wound up on top. Nikolic locked in a guillotine off the sweep, and while it didn’t get the finish, it helped him maintain control. Nikolic let it go and landed some heavy ground-and-pound. Vologdin got back to his feet with a little over a minute remaining.

Nikolic wasn’t going away, pouring on the pressure as Vologdin desperately searched for a takedown. Nikolic defended, took the back, and locked in a rear-naked choke, but the bell saved Vologdin.

Official Result: Borislav Nikolic def. Mark Vologdin by unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)

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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

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