Edgar Berlanga overcame an early scare to score a statement
victory, while Richardson Hitchins impressed in his welterweight
bout at Zuffa Boxing 9.

Zuffa Boxing graced The Big Apple on July 26, putting on an event
at Infosys Theater in Madison Square Garden.

Zuffa Boxing 9 Results: Edgar Berlanga stops Steven Butler,
Richardson Hitchins wins side

Berlanga rallied following a knockdown to stop Steven Butler via
technical knockout in the seventh round of a super middleweight
bout. Berlanga responded with relentless pressure after being
dropped, gradually breaking Butler down before scoring a knockdown
of his own in Round 6.

In the co-main event, Hitchins turned in a dominant performance,
cruising to a unanimous decision over Ricardo Salas. Using his
superior speed, reach and jab, the New Yorker outboxed Salas from
bell to bell, earning identical 100-90 scores on all three judges’
cards.

Elsewhere on the card, Jalil Hackett earned a unanimous decision
over former world title challenger Sergiy Derevyanchenko in his
middleweight debut, while Vladyslav Sirenko scored a knockout
against Otto Wallin with just one second remaining in their
bout.

Furthermore, Emiliano Moreno outworked Arnold Gonzalez over eight
rounds and Kashaun Davis handed Mihai Nistor the first decision
loss of his career. Troy Nash remained unbeaten in Zuffa Boxing
with a majority decision over Ethan Perez, while Andres Sosa dented
Dominique Francis’ previously perfect record with a unanimous
decision victory in the opening contest.

BERLANGA WINS BY TKO ?
#ZuffaBoxing09 pic.twitter.com/B71JSxVpIM

— Zuffa_Boxing (@Zuffa_Boxing)
July 27, 2026

Valter
Walker has issued a warning to his heavyweight peers in the

Ultimate Fighting Championship for when the fight hits the
mat.

The Brazilian submission specialist continued his remarkable streak
at
UFC Abu Dhabi, forcing a tap from Thomas
Petersen with a rare calf slicer in the first round. This
marked only the fourth successful calf slicer in Octagon history
and extended Walker’s streak of sub victories to five straight.

Valter Walker says he has an answer when opponents defend his
heel hook.

Walker (16-1) secured four consecutive wins via heel hooks going
into UFC Abu Dhabi and added yet another leg-based submission
conquest to his record with his victory over Petersen. “The Foot
Hunter†later explained that the finish came after his American
counterpart successfully defended the heel hook.

“If you're ready for the heel hook, I have a variation to find a
way to win the fight,†Walker said in a post-fight interview. “If
the fight is on the ground, be careful. I will surprise you every
time.â€

Walker has six submission wins overall, in addition to just as many
knockouts. His current streak of first-round submissions paves the
way for a high-profile matchup next, which he's targeting for
UFC
333 in October, also slated for Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

“I just want to relax a little bit now, take a holiday with my wife
— but I want to fight again in October here,†Walker added. “I'll
talk to my manager and find out who's next.â€

“If the fight is on the ground, be
careful.”

Valter
Walker collects his fifth-straight submission victory at

#UFCAbuDhabi and gives his prediction for today’s main
event.

Prelim Results âž¡ï¸ https://t.co/unjXsOEd6u@VisitAbuDhabi
| @InAbuDhabi |

#InAbuDhabi pic.twitter.com/EvEu52mV4f

— UFC News (@UFCNews)
July 25, 2026

UFC's first trip to Belgrade is already off to a promising start, as all fighters on Saturday's card have made weight.

That includes headliners Uros Medic and Daniel Rodriguez. Both welterweight competitors hit their target at 171 pounds each. Medic will be the heavy crowd favorite as he was born in Serbia. The 33-year-old believes he's peaking at the right time, and he hopes to extend his winning streak to four. Meanwhile for Rodriguez, this will be his first fight since being released from jail in Mexico over marijuana possession.

The co-main event will see former UFC light heavyweight titleholder Jan Blachowicz mix it up with Navajo Stirling. Both men clocked in at 205 pounds. Stirling steps in for Bogdan Guskov, who was moved to the UFC Abu Dhabi card last weekend in a losing effort against Magomed Ankalaev. Blachowicz has gone 0-2-2 in his last four outings, and is in search of his first win since 2022. Stirling is a perfect 10-0 to start his pro MMA career, and this is his most high-profile opponent to date.

Heavyweight action will also be on display as Aleksandar Rakic will take on Marcin Tybura. Rakic weighed in at 237.5 pounds for the change in weight class, while Tybura tipped the scales at 255 pounds.

Here's a look at the full UFC Belgrade weigh-in results:

Main Card (Paramount+, 1 p.m. ET)

• Uros Medic (171) vs. Daniel Rodriguez (171)
• Jan Blachowicz (205) vs. Navajo Stirling (205)
• Aleksandar Rakic (237.5) vs. Marcin Tybura (254)
• Dusko Todorovic (186) vs. Robert Valentin (185.5)
• Vlasto Cepo (185) vs. Gilbert Urbina (185.5)
• Milos Janicic (156) vs. Noah Gugnon (155)

Prelims (Paramount+, 10 a.m. ET)

• Ludovit Klein (155.5) vs. Tofiq Musayev (155.5)
• Oban Elliott (170) vs. Michael Oliveira (171)
• Mark Vologdin (135.5) vs. Borislav Nikolic (136)
• Bogdan Grad (145.5) vs. Dennis Buzukja (146)
• Mateusz Rebecki (155.5) vs. Kyle Prepolec (155)
• Nina Milosevic (134.5) vs. Hailey Cowan (136)
• Jovan Leka (262.5) vs. Alexander Poppeck (215)
• Marina Spasic (115.5) vs. Stephanie Luciano (115)

Will you be watching UFC Belgrade on Saturday? If so, which matchups are you looking forward to the most? Sound off in the comments below.

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

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