Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) touched down in Belgrade, Serbia yesterday (Sat., Aug. 1, 2026) for the first time ever to stage UFC Belgrade on Paramount +. Several fighters were left feeling the post-fight blues once the dust settled since 12 of the 14 fights ended with some sort of stoppage.
Among them was Vlasto Cepo, who was stunned in the very first round by Gilbert Urbina, who iced him in just 61 seconds (see it again here). And Jan Blachowicz, the former Light Heavyweight champion who was knocked
out by Navajo Stirling, also in the opening round (highlights here). But which fighter is suffering from the worst post-fight hangover, now a few days removed from the show?
Daniel Rodriguez.
Coming into his first fight in over a year, it was surprising to see Rodriguez get a headlining spot after spending eight months in a Mexican jail for drug possession. One would have though that given his legal woes. “D-Rod” would have been relegated to the “prelims.” Nevertheless, Rodriguez found himself with a golden opportunity in a main event spot against Uros Medic, the hometown hero looking to make a splash for his fans.
And he did just that, knocking out Rodriguez in 30 seconds flat to secure his fourth consecutive victory via knockout (see it again here).
We really shouldn’t be shocked that Medic got the job done in that manner, though it was very surprising to see him do so quickly. After all, Rodriguez has been idle for over a year, and despite getting some type of work in behind bars it’s not the same as being an active fighter.
The layoff and legal troubles obviously played a big part in Rodriguez’s poor showing — as well as Medic’s stellar one.
“F—k, I loaded up on the jab, and he beat me to the punch,” Rodriguez wrote after the loss. “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.”
I have no doubt Rodriguez will be back in better fight shape for his next outing considering all he went through over the course of the last year.
As far as what could be next for him, perhaps a fight against someone like Joel Alvarez is in order. The former Lightweight turned Welterweight had his four-fight win streak snapped at the hands Yaroslav Amosov just a few months ago at UFC 328, so his turnaround time could sink up with “D-Rod’s.”
Prior to the loss, Alvarez had successfully made the move up to 170 pounds with a win over longtime veteran, Vicente Luque. Adding this fight to the upcoming Noche UFC card on Sept. 12 seems like a good fit.
For complete UFC Belgrade results and play-by-play click here.
