Uroš Medić gets his wish to fight in his home country, Serbia. The welterweight fighter takes on Daniel Rodriguez in the main event of UFC Belgrade on August 1.
The UFC announced the fight through their social media accounts. It is scheduled for five five-minute rounds. For both Medić and Rodriguez, it’s their first main event in the UFC.
Headlining At Home
Medić has fought in the UFC since 2021. He was signed a year earlier after a quick finish on the Dana White’s Contender Series. The Serbian fighter won three of his first four fights at lightweight but decided to move up to welterweight. After an amazing spinning back fist TKO win against Matthew Semelsberger, Medić fell short against short-notice replacement and promotional newcomer Myktybek Orolbai. Medić responded with a win over Tim Means but then lost to Punahele Soriano.
The Serbian fighter struggled to establish a winning streak to advance within the division. In 2025, he finally won two fights in a row. Both Gilbert Urbina and Muslim Salikhov were finished in the first round. Because of these wins, he got a shot in the welterweight rankings against Geoff Neal. Medić knocked out the American fighter early in the first round and entered the rankings. Now he takes on Rodriguez in Belgrade.
On A Three-Fight Winning Streak
Opponent Rodriguez is someone who quietly climbed the rankings in the UFC. The American fighter won seven of his first eight fights in the UFC. Only a controversial decision against Nicolas Dalby went against him. Between 2022 and 2024, Rodriguez hit a rough patch in the UFC, dropping three consecutive fights. Rodriguez was able to turn the tide when he beat Alex Morono at the end of 2024 via split decision.
After also beating both Santiago Ponzinibbio and Kevin Holland last year, he came back into the top 15 rankings of the welterweight division. After the Holland win, it went quiet around Rodriguez. Last month, Rodriguez broke the silence and told everyone that he was locked up in a Mexican prison for a couple of months. He never stopped training and was ready to fight as soon as possible. He will get that opportunity against Medić.
Rumored Moving Up To Heavyweight
Another high-profile rumored match-up on the card is a heavyweight fight between Ante Delija and Johnny Walker. Delija started great in the UFC with a win against Marcin Tybura, but recently lost to Waldo Cortes Acosta. Now he takes on Johnny Walker, who goes up to heavyweight. The Brazilian said in the past that he wanted to test the waters at heavyweight. He will get his opportunity against Delija.
Walker is not the only fighter going up to heavyweight. Aleksandar Rakić also goes from light-heavyweight to heavyweight. He takes on, in front of his home crowd, Marcin Tybura. Rakić has struggled in the last couple of years in the light-heavyweight division and hopes he can make a new beginning in the new division.
UFC Belgrade – August 1st
- Uroš Medić vs. Daniel Rodriguez
- Aleksandar Rakić vs. Marcin Tybura
- Vlasto Čepo vs. Gilbert Urbina
- Jovan Leka vs. Max Gimenis
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