McKinney (15-7) burst onto the UFC scene in 2021 with two highlight reel finishes out of the gate, but since has had a rollercoaster of a run in the UFC. 2-3 in his last five bouts the mission was victory over Hadzovic on Saturday.

Hadzovic (14-7) has been in the UFC much longer than fans realize. Debuting in 2016 he holds victories over Marcin Held, Polo Reyes, and Yandy Medeiros. Visa issues, illness and injury have shelved him multiple times in his run, but he hoped to add McKinney’s name to his resume at UFC Riyadh.

Round 1 McKinney came out hot with the kicks up top and to the body as he looked for a highlight finish. Hadzovic fired back some big shots of his own trying to match his opponent. Hadzovic shot in for a takedown, McKinney grabbed the neck, got reversed and ended up in mount. McKinney went off looking for ground-and-pound, then a choke, then back to strikes.

Hadzovic ate way too many shots for Jason Herzog’s liking and he waved the fight off.

Short night at the office for Terrance McKinney 😤 #UFCSaudiArabia pic.twitter.com/2obfixfgpS

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) February 1, 2025

Official Result: Terrance McKinney def. Damir Hadzovic via R1 TKO, 2:01

The post Terrance McKinney Overwhelms Hadzovic, Takes TKO Win appeared first on Cageside Press.

McKinney (15-7) is set to take on Damir Hadzovic (14-7) at UFC Saudi Arabia on February 1, 2025, with news of the booking coming from “T. Wrecks” himself. The event takes place at The Venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

In a response to a social media report about the pairing, McKinney wrote “February 1st we’re back for Riyadh Season in Saudi Arabia,” tagging sponsor Fusion Xcel Performance and adding “we will show a complete fighter come Feb 1st move to FL to better my career been a huge blessing all glory to god can’t wait to show the growth.” He’d go out to shout out coach Julien Williams as well.

McKinney will be looking to bounce back from a loss to Esteban Ribovics last time out, a setback that snapped a two-fight win streak. All but one of McKinney’s 15 pro victories have come inside of a round.

Damir Hadzovic is likewise coming off a single loss, to Marc Diakiese in 2022. It’s been a long stint on the sidelines since, and to make matters worse, Hadzovic is 1-3 in his last four.

While no main event has been announced, the following match-ups have been reported for UFC Saudi Arabia on Feb. 1, 2025:

• Jasmine Jasudavicius vs. Mayra Bueno Silva
• Ikram Aliskerov vs. André Muniz
• Sergei Pavlovich vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
• Hamdy Abdelwahab vs. Jamal Pogues
• Sharabutdin Magomedov vs. Michael Page
• Shamil Gaziev vs. Thomas Petersen
• Lucas Alexander vs. Bogdan Grad
• Damir Hadžović vs. Terrance McKinney
• Said Nurmagomedov vs. Vinicius Oliveira

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Round one Diakiese worked quickly to get in on a takedown and worked on top of Hadzovic. Hadzovic used an open guard quite a bit trying to stop Diakiese from passing. The pressure from Diakiese was great as Hadzovic had problems trying to get to a better position much less stand up. After a while Diakiese was able to get to half guard and then work to take the back. Hadzovic continued to defend knowing that if he stood up he’s be wearing a heavy backpack. The rest of the round was a wrestling clinic for Diakiese who put Hadzovic where ever he wanted to.

Round two after an initial striking exchange Diakiese got in on a single leg shots. After a few seconds of defending Hadzovic was unable to stop the take down and Diakiese ended up on top in half guard. When Hadzovic would get to his feet Diakiese would quickly get him back down efficiently. Diakiese was able to land some shots on the ground, but otherwise just controlled positions for most of the round. After a time-out by ref Herb Dean to check on a cut above the eye due to a head clash the round ended with Diakiese landing on Hadzovic on the feet.

Round three Diakiese got right back to his wrestling as he very easily got Hadzovic on the ground and got top position. This time Diakiese tried to land damage from the position landing some elbows and short punches. Hadzovic continued to defend and try to get up, but Diakiese has been able to easily take him back down. Near the end of the round Diakiese allowed Hadzovic up and threw fancy kicks until time ran out.

Official Result: Marc Diakiese def. Damir Hadzovic via UD (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)

The post UFC London: Marc Diakiese Dominates Hadzovic With Wrestling Clinic, Takes UD appeared first on Cageside Press.

Diakiese (15-5), in what will be the first fight of a new UFC contract, will face Damir Hadzovic (14-6) on July 23, 2022 at the O2 Arena in London, England. After his most recent outing, “Bonecrusher” had called out Drew Dober for a fight on the UFC London card; he got the date, just not the opponent.

UFC officials announced the booking on Tuesday.

The British-Congolese fighter will be looking to make it two in a row come July. Rolling the dice and betting on himself, he fought out his deal against Viacheslav Borschev at UFC Columbus in March. The fight, coming just a week after the UFC’s triumphant return to the O2 in London, ended in a unanimous decision in favor of Diakiese.

Hadzovic last fought in June of 2021, picking up a win over Yancy Medeiros, who has since landed with Bellator MMA. That win snapped a two-fight skid for “The Bosnian Bomber,” who fights out of The Netherlands.

Overall, Hadzovic is 4-4 through eight fights in the UFC.

The second UFC London card of 2022 is expected to be headlined once again by heavyweight Tom Aspinall, this time facing off with Curtis Blaydes. The following match-ups have been reported for the event:

• Curtis Blaydes vs. Tom Aspinall
• Jack Hermansson vs. Darren Till
• Nikita Krylov vs. Alexander Gustafsson
• Paul Craig vs. Volkan Oezdemir
• Molly McCann vs. Hannah Goldy
• Muhammad Mokaev vs. Charles Johnson
• Victoria Leonardo vs. Mandy Böhm
• Makwan Amirkhani vs. Jonathan Pearce
• Marc Diakiese vs. Damir Hadzovic

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Iridium Sports Agency was first to announce that Steve Garcia (12-4) will face Damir Hadzovic (14-6) on the card this April. Garcia, represented by Iridium, also confirmed the booking on social media.

Appearing on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2019, Garcia won his fight — but was not granted a UFC deal. Instead, he went back to the regional circuit, picking up a win at LFA 80 the following year, then stepping in to face Luis Pena on short notice at UFC Norfolk.

He’d lose his debut against “Violent Bob Ross” by decision, but bounced back last year, picking up a TKO win over Charlie Ontiveros.

From 2013 to 2017, Garcia competed seven times for Bellator MMA.

Hadzovic, like Garcia, is coming off a single win, against Yancy Medeiros last June. The Bosnian fighter joined the promotion in 2016, and recently signed a new deal. Overall, he’s posted a 4-4 record inside the octagon.

The UFC’s April 23, 2022 event is expected to be held at the Apex in Las Vegas. The following bouts have been reported for the event:

• Amanda Lemos vs. Jéssica Andrade
• Tanner Boser vs. Rodrigo Nascimento
• Qileng Aori vs. Cameron Else
• Louis Cosce vs. Preston Parsons
• Clay Guida vs. Claudio Puelles
• Mike Jackson vs. Dean Barry
• Montana De La Rosa vs. Maycee Barber
• Tyson Pedro vs. Ike Villanueva
• Manel Kape vs. Su Mudaerji
• Dwight Grant vs. Sergey Khandozhko
• Charles Jourdain vs. Lando Vannata
• Damir Hadžović vs. Steve Garcia

The post Damir Hadzovic vs. Steve Garcia Booked for April 23 UFC Event appeared first on Cageside Press.

UFC Vegas 30 marked the 30th event to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas since the onset of COVID-19 in North America. A grim milestone of sorts, but at the same time, a successful one: the promotion, once it got over foolhardy ideas like an ill-fated event at the Taichi Palace, has been one of the standout “leagues” throughout the pandemic, producing content nearly non-stop thanks to owning their own small arena/production facility.

Kicking off UFC Vegas 30 on Saturday were a pair of fighters who had struggled to find success of late. Hawaii’s Yancy Medeiros, long since stripped of top prospect status, had lost three straight, and had been out over a year. Damir Hadzovic was in similar, but less dire, territory with back-to-back losses and a 15-month absence of his own.

In the first round Hadzovic got started right away with the calf kicks. That did little to deter the forward movement from Medeiros though, who kept working though them to land his jab. Hadzovic did enough with the counters to stay competitive and may have even landed some of the bigger shots. The big moment of the first round came with just a little over a minute left, when Hadzovic swarmed Medeiros and hit a foot trip. He wasn’t able to keep him down long, and the round ended with more exciting striking exchanges and Hadzovic likely doing enough to take the first.

Big trading kicked off the first round with both men having their moments. Having had enough of that, Hadzovic shot a double to get Medeiros to the mat. Like the first exchange, the saw little time there before Medeiros worked back to the feet. That also didn’t work well for the Hawaiian who started taking big shots with his back against the fence, including one blow that opened up a cut on his left eye. Always game, Medeiros stayed in there and returned the odd shot to let Chirs Tognoni know he’s still in there. Another swarm nearly seemed to stop Medeiros, but Hadzovic started to tire before he got the stoppage. A notably tired Hadzovic ended the round – most likely up two rounds to none.

Hazovic appeared to have found a second (or third) wind going into the third round. He landed a big shot and immediately started another onslaught to try to finish Medeiros. Medeiros, as close to being finished as he had been all fight, survived yet again. Again tired, Hadzovic looked to take a break, and Medeiros would not oblige. He was all over Hadzovic for the remaining half round. He took the back of Hadzovic multiple times, had mount, landed big strikes. The round ended with a rear naked choke completely sunk in, but Hadzovic was saved by the bell.

What an absolute battle! 👊

[ #UFCVegas30 | LIVE on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/SNfj70DTDS

— UFC (@ufc) June 26, 2021

Official Result: Damir Hadzovic def. Yancy Medeiros by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

The post UFC Vegas 30 Results: Damir Hadzovic Survives Late Attacks, Decisions Yancy Medeiros appeared first on Cageside Press.

On Saturday, just hours out from the event, UFC officials announced that Hadzovic (13-6), a.k.a. “The Bosnian Bomber,” had been removed from the card due to health issues.

“Due to health issues, Damir Hadzovic has been removed from the lightweight bout with Yancy Medeiros at UFC Vegas 27,” the promotion wrote in a statement circulated on social media. “As a result this bout has been cancelled from tonight’s card and will be rescheduled at a later date.”

No information as to the nature of Hadzovic’s illness was disclosed. The fighter successfully made weight for the event Friday, seemingly without issue.

Hadzovic, with the UFC since 2016, had lost two straight heading into UFC Vegas 27. Worse off was Hawaii’s Medeiros (15-7, 1NC), once a promising lightweight and welterweight. Heading into Saturday night, he had dropped three straight, and was without a win since 2017.

Fighting just once a year during that run likely didn’t help things for Yancy Medeiros. The Hawaiian, however, had stepped up to replace Nikolas Motta against Hadzovic this weekend.

UFC Vegas 27 takes place Saturday, May 22 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and is headlined by a bantamweight bout between Rob Font and former 135lb champ Cody Garbrandt.

The post Damir Hadzovic vs. Yancy Medeiros Scratched from UFC Vegas 27 appeared first on Cageside Press.

MMA Junkie was first to report the news that Yancy Medeiros will step in for Nikolas Motta and fight Damir Hadzovic on May 22 at UFC Fight Night: Font vs. Garbrandt. Medeiros would confirm the news on his Instagram.

Medeiros (15-7-1) is looking to get back into the win column in May. He is on a three-fight losing streak – the first of his career. The Hawaiian only fight once in 2020 before the pandemic at UFC Fight Night: Anderson vs. Błachowicz 2. He lost to Lando Vannata. Medeiros will most likely be fighting for his job come May.

Hadzovic (13-6) will also be looking to get back in the win column and snap his two-fight losing streak. The Danish fight was last in action at UFC Fight Night: Lee vs. Oliveira, the last fight card before the sports world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was submitted in 44 seconds by Renato Moicano, which led to a comical conversation after the fight. A year prior, he was defeated by Christos Giagos, who snapped his two-fight winning streak. Hadzovic hasn’t had the best run in the UFC thus far but will be looking to change that.

UFC Fight Night: Font vs. Garbrandt is expected to occur at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and will most likely be broadcast on ESPN+.

With the latest addition, the May 22 fight card now looks like this:

• Cody Garbrandt vs. Rob Font
• Felicia Spencer vs. Danyelle Wolf
• Xionan Yan vs. Carla Esparza
• David Dvorak vs. Raulian Paiva
• Denys Bondar vs. Victor Rodriguez
• Rodrigo Nascimento vs. Alan Baudot
• Justin Tafa vs. Jared Vanderaa
• Josh Culibao vs. Yilan Sha
• Sarah Alpar vs. Stephanie Egger
• Yancy Medeiros vs. Damir Hadzovic

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MMA DNA was first to report the news that Nikolas Motta will make his octagon debut on May 8 against Damir Hadzovic. No location or venue has been announced.

Motta (12-3) is coming off his contract-winning performance on season four of Dana White’s Contender Series. He defeated Joe Lowry via unanimous decision. The Brazilian is a former CFFC lightweight champion and is currently on a three-fight winning streak.

Hadzovic (13-6) will be looking to get back in the win column and snap his two-fight losing streak. The Danish fight was last in action at UFC Fight Night: Lee vs. Oliveira, the last fight card before the sports world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was submitted in 44 seconds by Renato Moicano, which led to a comical conversation after the fight. A year prior, he was defeated by Christos Giagos, who snapped his two-fight winning streak. Hadzovic hasn’t had the best run in the UFC thus far but will be looking to change that.

The May 8 UFC event now includes:

• Donald Cerrone vs. Diego Sanchez
• Francisco Figueredo vs. Jimmy Flick
• Zarrukh Adashev vs. Ryan Benoit
• Holly Holm vs. Julianna Pena
• Marcos Rogerio de Lima vs. Maurice Greene
• Christian Aguilera vs. Carlston Harris
• Roxanne Modafferi vs. Taila Santos
• Tafon Nchukwi vs. Jun Yong Park
• Damir Hadzovic vs. Nikolas Motta

The post Nikolas Motta vs. Damir Hadzovic Set For May 8 UFC Event appeared first on Cageside Press.

Hadzovic had last competed in June, losing a unanimous decision against Christos Giagos.

This one got off to a quick start. Moicano had the back in a flash. He pulled Hadzovic to the ground, and quickly got the hooks in then a body triangle. The rear-naked choke went in, and it was tight. Hadzovic had no choice but to tap, and that was that.

Things got a little ugly after the finish. Despite just having fought, the pair appeared to want to go at it again. That likely stemmed from Moicano getting right in the face of his opponent immediately after the tap, before Hadzovic had even regained his feet. He could then be overheard imploring the ref to let him speak to his opponent, calling out “I have nothing against you” despite instigating the fracas.

Security kept them separated.

🇧🇷: "I wanted to fight more."

🇧🇦: "Then you shouldn't have submitted me." pic.twitter.com/uEcO9UYWkl

— UFC (@ufc) March 14, 2020

Afterward, Moicano could be overheard saying he was upset because he wanted to fight more. Hadzovic’s retort was simple: “Then you shouldn’t have submitted me.”

Official Result: Renato Moicano def. Damir Hadzovic by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 0:44

The post UFC Brasilia Results: Renato Moicano Secures Quick Sub Of Damir Hadzovic, Gets Heated Post-Fight appeared first on Cageside Press.