Oban Elliott returns to the Octagon. The Welsh fighter has a fight booked on August 1 in Belgrade, Serbia. In the welterweight division, he takes on undefeated newcomer Michael Oliveira. The fight takes place during UFC Belgrade in the Belgrade Arena.
Multiple sources have confirmed the booking to Heavy.com after a report by AG Fight. The main event of the evening is a fight in the welterweight division as well between Uroš Medić and Daniel Rodriguez.
Welsh Fan Favorite Needs To Break His Losing Skid
With a four-fight winning streak, Oban Elliott entered Dana White’s Contender Series in 2023. The Welsh fighter who fought most of his professional MMA fights for Cage Warriors came in as an underdog against Kaik Brito, but fought a solid fight and won a majority decision over the Brazilian fighter. UFC president Dana White was impressed by the fight and awarded Elliott a UFC contract. Elliott made his UFC debut in early 2024. Via unanimous decision, he beat Val Woodburn. Five months later, in his second UFC fight, he was the underdog coming in against Preston Parsons. Elliott showed his solid skills again and won after three rounds a clear unanimous decision.
The year 2024 was completed with an amazing third-round finish over Bassil Hafez and a performance of the night bonus as well. Elliott hoped to break into the top 15 in 2025, but the year turned out completely different from what he expected. In the summer of 2025, he lost for the first time in the UFC. He got completely outgrappled by SeokHyeon Ko. Elliott came into the fight as a big favorite but wasn’t able to prevent the South Korean fighter from dominating him. Earlier this year, Elliott traveled to Australia to take on Jonathan Micallef. Elliott had a great start early on but was finished in the second round by a rear-naked choke submission. With two losses in a row, Elliott is in desperate need of a win. He takes on undefeated newcomer Michael Oliveira in Serbia.
Undefeated Powerhouse Debuts In Belgrade
Oliveira is 26 years old and two years younger than his opponent. “PQD” started his professional career in 2022 after going 1-0 as an amateur the year before. After two quick finishes in Brazil, Oliveira signed for the LFA promotion. Also in the LFA promotion, Oliveira showed his finishing skills. In 2023, the Brazilian fighter fought four fights for them, winning all by first-round knockout. In 2024, Dallys Gama was the first opponent of Oliveira to get him out of the first round. Oliveira still won, this time by headkick knockout in the third round.
Eight months after that win, Oliveira went to the scorecards for the very first time in his career. Via unanimous decision, he beat Aldo Pereira. With an 8-0 record he entered Dana White’s Contender Series with lots of hype in 2025. He took on Victor Valenzuela in Las Vegas. With a spectacular knockout finish in the second round, Oliveira secured his UFC contract. Oliveira was supposed to make his debut earlier this year, but he couldn’t take the fight because he wasn’t medically cleared to fight due to an injury. Now he has his UFC debut locked in against Oban Elliott.
UFC Belgrade – August 1 (Belgrade Arena)
- Uroš Medić vs. Daniel Rodriguez
- Ante Delija vs. Johnny Walker
- Aleksandar Rakić vs. Marcin Tybura
- Ľudovít Klein vs. Tofiq Musayev
- Duško Todorović vs. Robert Valentin
- Bogdan Grad vs. Dennis Buzukja
- Oban Elliott vs. Michael Oliveira
- Mark Vologdin vs. Josias Musasa
- Jovan Leka vs. Max Gimenis
- Vlasto Čepo vs. Gilbert Urbina
- Nina Milošević vs. Hailey Cowan
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