Uroš Medić and Daniel Rodriguez to Headline UFC Belgrade

Uroš Medić is set to headline the inaugural UFC event in his home country. On August 1st, he will face Daniel Rodriguez in a five-round welterweight bout at the Belgrade Arena.

Medić (13-3) will step into the Octagon for the eleventh time, riding a three-fight winning streak. All his recent victories have come in the first round, including a 79-second knockout against Geoff Neal in February, which earned him a performance bonus.

“The Doctor,” as the fighter is known, currently holds the 14th spot in MMA Fighting's global welterweight rankings.

This will be Daniel Rodriguez's first fight since his release from prison. Rodriguez (20-5) also boasts a three-fight winning streak in the UFC, with victories over Alex Morono, Santiago Ponzinibbio, and Kevin Holland. He returns to the cage after spending eight months in a Mexican prison, following an arrest at the border for marijuana possession while celebrating his win over Holland.

“I crossed the border into Mexico and forgot I had a small bag of weed on me,” Rodriguez recounted on The Ariel Helwani Show. “It was under an ounce, but they stopped me at the border checkpoint, searched me, and the border patrol officers made an issue of the weed. I thought I'd be there maybe for the weekend, or even less, but the laws in Mexico are very different. They don't mess around.”

“What I thought would be a weekend stay, or at most an overnight, turned into eight months. Right at the peak of my career, that's what it was,” he added.

Two more bouts were officially announced on Monday. Long-time light heavyweight contender Aleksandar Rakić (14-6), an Austrian representing Serbia, will move up to heavyweight to fight Marcin Tybura (27-11). Another Serbian fighter, Duško Todorović (13-6), is set to face Robert Valentin (11-6).