Uros Medic will headline the UFC’s first-ever event in Serbia, taking on Daniel Rodriguez in a five-round welterweight main event at Belgrade Arena on Aug. 1.
The UFC announced the Medic vs. Rodriguez pairing on Monday, confirming the historic main event for Belgrade. Medic enters the headliner with a 13-3 record and a three-fight winning streak, all first-round finishes, including a 79-second knockout win over Geoff Neal in February.
Nicknamed "The Doctor," Medic is currently ranked No. 14 at welterweight in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings. Opponent Rodriguez brings a 20-5 record and his own three-fight UFC winning streak, with victories over Alex Morono, Santiago Ponzinibbio and Kevin Holland.
Rodriguez previously spent eight months in a Mexican prison after being arrested at the border for marijuana possession while celebrating his win over Holland. "I crossed the border to Mexico and I forgot I had a little bag of weed with me," Rodriguez said. "It was under an ounce and I got pulled over at the line, got checked, and the border patrol were tripping on the weed. I was thinking I was only going to be in there probably the weekend, maybe a little bit shorter, but the laws over there in Mexico are way different. They don’t play no games."
"What I was thinking would turn into what was going to be a little weekend or maybe overnight turned into eight months. Smack in the prime of my career, that was it," Rodriguez added, reflecting on the experience ahead of his return to a main event spotlight in Belgrade.
