UFC Belgrade's Record-Setting Finish Rate: What Four Submissions in One Night Say About Grappling
Serbia's first UFC card produced twelve finishes in fourteen fights, and four of them came by tap. Here's what the guillotines and rear-naked chokes at UFC Fight Night: Medic vs. Rodriguez mean for anyone training near Las Vegas.
Key takeaways
- UFC's August 1 card in Belgrade finished twelve of fourteen bouts, tying the promotion's record for most stoppages on a single show.
- Four fighters won by submission that night: two rear-naked chokes, one guillotine, and one arm-triangle, proof that grappling still closes shows at the sport's top level.
- Uros Medic needed only thirty seconds to stop Daniel Rodriguez in the main event, his fourth straight finish inside the Octagon.
- The submission rate is a reminder that positional control and choke mechanics, the same fundamentals taught in a beginner gi class, decide championship-level fights.
Stats drawn from official UFC Belgrade results, August 1, 2026.
A record night in Serbia
UFC Fight Night: Medic vs. Rodriguez landed in Belgrade Arena on August 1, marking the promotion's first show in Serbia and one of the more violent cards in its history. Only two of the fourteen bouts went to the scorecards, meaning twelve ended before the judges ever had to open their books. Ten of those finishes came inside the opening round.
That kind of stoppage rate is unusual even by UFC standards, where finishes are already common. It puts the Belgrade card among the most action-heavy events the organization has run, and it gives fans and coaches alike plenty to study, from crisp striking combinations to fight-ending chokes applied under pressure.
Submissions carried their weight
Four of the twelve finishes came by tap rather than strikes, a healthy share on a card otherwise dominated by knockouts. Stephanie Luciano opened the night with a rear-naked choke over Marina Spasic, and Bogdan Grad followed later on the prelims with an arm-triangle that folded Dennis Buzukja in the second round.
The main card kept the trend going. Noah Gugnon strangled Milos Janicic with a rear-naked choke just eighty-one seconds into their bout, and Robert Valentin caught Dusko Todorovic in a guillotine at the 4:14 mark of round one, a finish few had predicted given the pre-fight odds.
For a jiu jitsu gym, that's four separate teachable moments in a single night: two chokes from the back, a front headlock finish, and a squeeze from top position after a scramble. Every one of them starts with grips and hip positioning that get drilled during a normal Las Vegas Jiu Jitsu no-gi class.
Medic's thirty-second statement
The headliner needed almost no time at all. Uros Medic dropped Daniel Rodriguez with a left hand that sent him tumbling, then closed the show with follow-up punches before the half-minute mark. It was his fourth consecutive finish since entering the UFC, all of them by stoppage rather than decision.
In the co-main event, Navajo Stirling weathered an early scare from former light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz before turning the fight around with a first-round TKO, pushing his own record to eleven wins without a loss. Heavyweight newcomer Aleksandar Rakic rounded out the main card with a clean decision win over Marcin Tybura in his division debut, the lone main-card fight to go the distance.
Why it matters for grapplers near Las Vegas
Nights like this are a good excuse to look past the highlight-reel knockouts and notice how often a fight still ends in a choke, even against opponents who train wrestling and striking at the highest level. A rear-naked choke or a guillotine is not a lucky accident; it is the product of thousands of reps on hand fighting, hip escapes, and grip sequencing.
That is exactly the kind of foundation a beginner starts building in their first few weeks on the mat. Watching a card where a third of the finishes came by submission is a solid nudge to spend a class or two on the details, whether that means tightening up a rear-naked choke from the back or learning to defend a guillotine before it locks in. A visit to a local BJJ class is a low-pressure way to feel those mechanics firsthand rather than just watching them on a screen.
Four Submissions from UFC Belgrade, and the Lesson Each One Teaches
Every tap on the Belgrade card came from a technique that gets drilled in a beginner-friendly grappling class. Here's what to watch for in each one.
- Stephanie Luciano's rear-naked choke: Finished at 3:20 of round one over Marina Spasic; the classic reminder that controlling the back and keeping both hooks in is worth more than any single strike.
- Bogdan Grad's arm-triangle: Sealed in round two against Dennis Buzukja; it shows why head and arm position matter as much as raw squeeze pressure.
- Noah Gugnon's rear-naked choke: Closed out Milos Janicic in just 81 seconds, proof that a clean choke can end a fight before it ever gets going.
- Robert Valentin's guillotine: Caught Dusko Todorovic at 4:14 of round one off a scramble, a good example of finishing a choke that presents itself mid-exchange rather than forcing one.
- Medic's 30-second finish: Not a submission, but a reminder that fight-ending pressure, whether by strikes or a choke, comes from relentless follow-up once an opponent is hurt.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened at UFC Belgrade on August 1?
UFC held its first-ever event in Serbia, UFC Fight Night: Medic vs. Rodriguez, and the card finished twelve of its fourteen bouts before the judges' scorecards were needed, with ten of those coming in the first round.
How many fights ended by submission?
Four bouts were decided by tap: two rear-naked chokes (Stephanie Luciano and Noah Gugnon), one arm-triangle choke (Bogdan Grad), and one guillotine choke (Robert Valentin).
Who won the main event?
Uros Medic stopped Daniel Rodriguez by TKO just thirty seconds into round one, extending his run to four straight finishes inside the UFC.
Where can I learn these submissions near Las Vegas?
Rear-naked chokes, guillotines, and arm-triangles are all core curriculum in a typical beginner no-gi or gi class, so a first visit to a local BJJ gym is a practical way to start building the same mechanics.