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Last night (Sat., Aug. 1, 2026), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) ventured forth to Belgrade Arena in Belgrade, Serbia, for UFC Belgrade. Though the card was centered around \u201cThe Doctor,\u201d Uros Medic<\/strong>, in his home country debut, the UFC\u2019s first visit to Serbia will be remembered for a wild run of finishes to start the night! There was no shortage of action in this entertaining event, which proved a lovely way to wake up for western fight fans.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s take a closer look at the best performances and highlight finishes of the evening:<\/p>\n BELGRADE, SERBIA – AUGUST 01: Uros Medic of Serbia punches Daniel Rodriguez in a welterweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Belgrade Arena on August 01, 2026 in Belgrade, Serbia. (Photo by Ed Mulholland\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n Everybody knows Medic intends to destroy his opposition with the first punch of the fight \u2014 that doesn\u2019t make it any easier to deal with!<\/p>\n Daniel Rodriguez<\/strong> showed up looking fit in his return and tried to establish his jab and low kick early on. That\u2019s fundamentally sound, but the speed difference was too great. Less than 30 seconds into the fight, Rodriguez stepped forward to jab, and before he even let the punch loose from its chamber, Medic unleashed a three-punch combination. The opening left landed heavily on the jaw, and the next couple punches sent Rodriguez flying backward. \u201cD-Rod\u201d was hurt badly, and Medic jumped on him with ground strikes to secure the quick KO win.<\/p>\n Belgrade went absolutely wild in one of the most memorable moments of 2026.<\/p>\n Where does Medic go from here? He\u2019s on quite the tear of quick knockouts, but he also hasn\u2019t really proven that he\u2019s solidified the grappling holes exposed in earlier UFC losses. As such, a Top 10 opponent who can test that aspect of his game feels appropriate, as we can then evaluate if Medic has truly developed into an elite title threat.<\/p>\n How about Sean Brady<\/strong> or Gabriel Bonfim<\/strong>?<\/p>\n BELGRADE, SERBIA – AUGUST 01: (R-L) Navajo Stirling of New Zealand punches Jan Blachowicz of Poland in a light heavyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Belgrade Arena on August 01, 2026 in Belgrade, Serbia. (Photo by Ed Mulholland\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n The 205-pound field is wide open. The champion is injured, most of the top contenders are stagnant, and half of the division has fled up to Heavyweight, which is somehow even weaker. The division is in a fairly dire state, but Navajo Stirling<\/strong> is an exception.<\/p>\n Stirling was an attractive pickup right away. A 6\u20194\u201d former pro kickboxer training with City Kickboxing sure sounds like a recipe for UFC success. Though he won his first three UFC bouts, they never really left second gear, and Stirling didn\u2019t show much aggression or finishing instinct in the process. A 3-0 start is undeniably good, but it was a bit underwhelming.<\/p>\n 2026 has marked a level up for Stirling. After stopping both Bruno Lopes<\/strong> and Ion Cutelaba<\/strong>, Stirling just dispatched an actually good fighter via knockout! Jan Blachowicz<\/strong> may be shopworn at 43, but he\u2019s still a remarkably tough out for most of the division. He hasn\u2019t been knocked out since 2019, yet a Stirling 1-2 sat him down hard midway through the first.<\/p>\n It\u2019s important to take a step back and realize this was only Stirling\u2019s 11th pro MMA fight. He started this year at just 8-0. The 28-year-old Kiwi is just now getting settled into the sport, and his newfound confidence is allowing his skill to flourish and producing much more exciting results.<\/p>\n Stirling walks away from this win already in title contention, and the best is yet to come from this rising talent.<\/p>\n BELGRADE, SERBIA – AUGUST 01: Tofiq Musayev of Azerbaijan punches Ludovit Klein of Slovakia in a lightweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Belgrade Arena on August 01, 2026 in Belgrade, Serbia. (Photo by Ed Mulholland\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n Three fights into his UFC career, Tofiq Musayev<\/strong> is exceeding expectations.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t get me wrong, serious fans knew Musayev well as an incredibly explosive and dangerous finisher. Sadly, it felt like Musayev\u2019s best days were behind him by the time he signed with the UFC. He (arguably) peaked in 2019 when he won four fights over tough competition to win the RIZIN Lightweight Grand Prix, extending his win streak to 15. After a two year layoff, Musayev returned to lose two of his next three by finish, and he didn\u2019t make his UFC debut until 2025 at the age of 35.<\/p>\n It all felt too late. Musayev was picked up solely because the UFC was heading to his home country of Azerbaijan, and his quick tap to Myktybek Orolbai<\/strong> at the first UFC Baku event seemed to confirm that he wasn\u2019t long for the Lightweight ranks.<\/p>\n Instead, Musayev righted the ship! He went to war with Ignacio Bahamondes<\/strong> five months ago in an incredible fight that booted \u201cLa Jaula\u201d from the 155-pound rankings and proved there was still gas left in the tank. Last night, he faced the battle-hardened Ludovit Klein<\/strong> in a highly anticipated matchup and once more demonstrated that Musayev has a lot left to offer.<\/p>\n Sometimes, high-level fights are decided by who finds the range first. In this case, Musayev found an early avenue to success in the form of clattering inside shin kicks. Those kicks hurt both men, but they effectively knocked Klein way out of his stance, limiting his ability to counter and allowing Musayev to explode forward with further swings.<\/p>\n By round two, Musayev\u2019s initial wave of explosion had worn off a bit, and Klein found his way into the exchanges. Still, Musayev was ahead in terms of damage, and he didn\u2019t need to find his distance. Even with Klein starting to land well, Musayev knew when to burst forward with a combination, because he could read Klein so effectively. As a result, his crushing right hand found the mark late in the second, hurting Klein and leaving him vulnerable to the followup flurry.<\/p>\n Defeating Bahamondes and Klein back-to-back is no joke! At 36, Musayev has earned his Top 15 ranking, and he deserves his chance to make a run at the top.<\/p>\n BELGRADE, SERBIA – JULY 31: Michael Oliveira of Brazil poses on the scale during the UFC Fight Night ceremonial weigh-in at Belgrade Arena on July 31, 2026 in Belgrade, Serbia. (Photo by Jeff Bottari\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n Michael Oliveira <\/strong>is something special.<\/p>\n \u201cPQD\u201d debuted last night on the undercard versus Oban Elliott<\/strong>, a solid Welterweight veteran with a good mix of skills. The Brazilian \u2014 who appears to be sculpted by the same stoneworker that crafted Yoel Romero<\/strong> from marble \u2014 was patient in his attack, feinting his way forward and calmly withdrawing away from Elliott\u2019s combinations. As soon as he decided to unleash, his power made itself known: a snapping jab floored Elliott!<\/p>\n Oliveira\u2019s vicious display of power was not a one-off event. He soon sent Elliott flying with a straight right, following up with a nasty series of ground strikes as Elliott desperately tried to flee for safety.<\/p>\n Young and electric, the former Brazilian paratrooper has the look of a star. I am slightly worried about whether the 6\u20191\u201d slugger will continue to make the Welterweight cut for years to come without issue, but that\u2019s a potential problem for tomorrow.<\/p>\n BELGRADE, SERBIA – AUGUST 01: (R-L) Jovan Leka of Serbia kicks Alexander Poppeck of Germany in a heavyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Belgrade Arena on August 01, 2026 in Belgrade, Serbia. (Photo by Ed Mulholland\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\nLight Heavyweight\u2019s New Contender<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
The Unexpected Rise Of Tofiq Musayev<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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For complete UFC <\/strong>Belgrade results and play-by-play, click here.<\/strong><\/h5>\n