“D-Rod” will be back.
Top 15-ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight Daniel Rodriguez suffered a 30-second knockout loss to Uros Medic in the main event of UFC Belgrade yesterday (Sat., Aug. 1, 2026) inside Belgrade Arena in Belgrade, Serbia (watch highlights).
Following the ultra-quick knockout loss — and a trip to a Serbian hospital afterward (details here) — Rodriguez released a statement on his Instagram story.
“F—k, I loaded up on the jab, and he beat me to the punch,” Rodriguez wrote. “Shit happens, I guess. Regardless of what just happened, I still can say I’m proud of myself for overcoming all that I have this past year. I was way out of shape when I got out of prison. We knew the risk coming out here and fighting this dude in his hometown and still took it. I’m gonna be in way better shape next time. F—king hurts my heart losing. I’ll be better next time.”
Rodriguez (20-6) had his three-fight win streak snapped in brutal fashion. Before the loss to Medic, “D-Rod” had put together one of the best runs of his recent career, scoring a unanimous decision win over Kevin Holland at UFC 318, knocking out Santiago Ponzinibbio (watch highlights) and defeating Alex Morono by unanimous decision.
However, Rodriguez’s past year has been anything but normal.
Just days after his win over Holland, Rodriguez spent the next eight months incarcerated in a prison in Tijuana, Mexico, after getting caught with marijuana at the border (wild details here).
So, while the result at UFC Belgrade was obviously a disaster, Rodriguez still seems proud that he even made it back to a UFC main event after everything he went through.
As for what comes next, a quick turnaround could make sense if Rodriguez is medically cleared.
UFC 331 goes down next month in Los Angeles, California, which is Rodriguez’s hometown, and that would be a fun landing spot. Noche UFC 4 is also scheduled one week earlier, giving UFC another potential option if “D-Rod” wants to get right back in there.
For complete UFC Belgrade results and play-by-play, click here.