Connect with us

MMA

UFC 329 Prelims: Gable Steveson smashes Elisha Ellison in promotional debut

Published

3 weeks ago

on

UFC 329 Prelims: Gable Steveson smashes Elisha Ellison in promotional debut
Gable
Steveson blasted through his first potential roadblock in the

Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight division and did so
while sustaining minimal damage.

The five-time NCAA All-American wrestler and 2020 Olympic gold
medalist excelled in his long-awaited promotional debut, as he
swept aside Elisha
Ellison with punches and knees in the first round of their
featured
UFC 329 prelim on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Ellison (5-3, 0-2 UFC) bowed out 2:31 into Round
1.

Steveson (4-0, 1-0 UFC) bypassed a feeling-out process in favor of
a tit-for-tat firefight. He tore into Ellison with front kicks to
the body and power punches upstairs, all while walking through the
return fire. Steveson closed the distance midway through the
opening stanza and smashed his fading adversary with close-range
punches and knee strikes. Ellison ultimately collapsed under all
the punishment.

Meanwhile, “The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes†winner Robert
Whittaker moved up to 205 pounds and stopped former Fight
Nights Global champion Nikita
Krylov with punches in the third round of their light
heavyweight spat.
Krlyov (31-12, 12-10 UFC) clocked out 61 seconds into Round
3.



Whittaker (27-9, 18-7 UFC) crowded the Ukrainian with punches, his
success in standup exchanges keyed by a potent jab. Krylov's pace
slowed noticeably in the second round and further diminished in the
third. Whittaker capitalized and clipped the Raty Team product with
a pair of wicked right hands, the second of which had his opponent
checking his jaw, turning away from contact and looking for a way
out.

The 35-year-old Whittaker has now posted wins in three UFC weight
classes.

Further down the undercard, Metro Fight Club's Adrian
Yanez wiped out Cody
Garbrandt with punches in the first round of their bantamweight
scrap.
Garbrandt (15-8, 10-8 UFC) succumbed to blows 2:47 into Round
1, falling for the third time in four outings.

Yanez (18-6-1, 7-3-1 UFC) withstood a flurry from the former
champion at the start and eventually clipped him with a pair of
counter right hooks. Garbrandt wobbled where he stood and could not
weather the avalanche of punched that followed. Hooks from both
hands tipped the Yanez spear and left his dazed-and-confused
counterpart wrecked at the base of the cage.

The victory was Yanez's first in more than two years.

Not to be outshined, Next Generation MMA standout Luke Riley
kept his perfect professional record intact, as he took care of
Kai
Kamaka III with punches and knees in the first round of their
featherweight battle.
Riley (14-0, 3-0 UFC) sealed the deal 3:03 into Round
1.

Kamaka (18-8-1, 2-3-1 UFC) enjoyed significant success with kicks
to the Englishman's lower lead leg and a few left hooks, but he
lacked the firepower necessary to go shot for shot with his
27-year-old opponent. Riley sat him down with a clean right,
allowed him to stand and then swarmed with knees and punches for
the finish.

The loss snapped a two-fight winning streak for Kamaka.

Elsewhere, fast-rising Nova Uniao prospect Damian
Pinas punched out Cesar
Almeida in the first round of their middleweight affair.

Almeida (7-3, 3-3 UFC) met his end 4:44 into Round 1,
as the Matheus Naccahce protégé suffered his second consecutive
setback.

Pinas (10-1, 2-0 UFC) exchanged high-velocity kicks and punches to
all levels with the experienced Brazilian kickboxer. Late in the
first round, the Aruban sent a devastating right cross crashing
through Almeida's defenses. The Lotus MMA product hit the deck in a
dazed state and absorbed one standing-to-ground hammerfist from
Pinas before referee Chris Tognoni waved it off.

The 24-year-old Pinas has won six fights in a row, five of them via
stoppage.

Deeper into the prelims, Ryan Gandra
dispatched fellow Dana White's Contender Series graduate Zachary
Reese with punches in the first round of their middleweight
tilt. Gandra (10-1, 2-0 UFC) brought it to a close 1:15 into Round
1, as he nailed down the seventh first-round finish of his
career.

Reese (10-4, 4-4 UFC) landed a few kicks to the body and lead leg
but lowered his shields at the wrong time.
Gandra floored him with a counter left hook and proceeded to slam
the door with a series of follow-up punches that prompted referee
Mike Beltran to intervene.

Gandra, 31, now finds himself on a nine-fight winning streak.

Finally, Lobo Gym export Alessandro
Costa filled in as a late-notice replacement for Ode
Osbourne and put away Cody Durden
with a rear-naked choke in the second round of their flyweight
encounter.
Durden (18-11-1, 7-9-1 UFC) conceded defeat 2:19 into Round
2, losing for the fifth time in six appearances.

Costa (17-5, 5-3 UFC) connected with the more consequential blows
throughout a competitive first round, then waited for an opening to
present itself. Durden slipped while throwing a kick and wound up
pinned to the mat against a world-class Brazilian jiu-jitsu black
belt early in the middle stanza. Costa flowed from side control to
the back, secured his position with a body triangle and
transitioned from a neck crank to the fight-ending choke.

The 30-year-old Costa has rattled off three straight victories.

In other action, Farid
Basharat (16-0, 7-0 UFC) laid claim to a unanimous decision
over John Garza
(6-2, 0-1 UFC) in their three-round bantamweight pairing, as he
earned 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 marks from the cageside judges; and
Cong
Wang (10-1, 5-1 UFC) outstruck Tracy
Cortez (12-4, 6-3 UFC) to a unanimous decision—29-27, 29-27,
29-27—in their three-round women's flyweight confrontation.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

MMA

UFC Belgrade Bonus Report: Navajo Stirling one of four 'POTN' winners

Published

12 hours ago

on

August 1, 2026

By

UFC Belgrade Bonus Report: Navajo Stirling one of four 'POTN' winners
Trending:

Conor McGregor didn't want to fight at UFC 329, says Din Thomas

The Octagon headed to Serbia for today's UFC Belgrade event, and four fighters wound up taking home performance bonuses.

This afternoon's event was headlined by a welterweight matchup between surging division contenders Uros Medic and Daniel Rodriguez. The contest proved to be a short-lived affair. Medic was able to rock Rodriguez in the early seconds with a 3-punch combination and then sent him crashing to the canvas with a body kick. From there, ‘The Doctor' proceeded to land another kick to the body of ‘D-Rod', this before ultimately finishing the contest with ground and pound. The fight itself lasted just 30-seconds and marked Uros Medic's fourth straight first-round stoppage victory.

UFC Belgrade was co-headlined by a highly anticipated light heavyweight bout featuring former champion Jan Blachowicz taking on Navajo Stirling. The high-stakes matchup resulted in a coming out party for the rising contender Navajo Stirling. The undefeated 28-year-old was able to rock Jan Blachowicz with a massive right hand early in the opening round and quickly proceeded to finish the former champion with some nasty punches and elbows. The impressive first-round finish improved Stirling's undefeated record to 11-0 and puts him right into title contention at 205lbs.

Following the conclusion of today's event, UFC officials announced at the post-fight press conference that four fighters would be taking home $100k performance bonuses.

Performance of the night: Uros Medic earned an extra $100k for his sensational 30-second TKO victory over Daniel Rodriguez in today's UFC Belgrade main event (see that here).

Performance of the night: Navajo Stirling pocketed an extra $100k for his impressive first-round TKO victory over former division champion Jan Blachowicz in today's co-headliner (see that here).

Performance of the night: Gilbert Urbina earned an extra $100k for his first-round TKO victory over Vlasto Cepo (see that here).

Performance of the night: Nina Milosevic pocketed an extra $100k for her first-round body shot finish of Hailey Cowan (see that here).

Are you surprised by any of the performance bonuses handed out by Dana White and company following the conclusion of today's UFC Belgrade event? Share your thoughts in the comment section PENN Nation!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

Continue Reading

MMA

Uros Medic lays waste to Daniel Rodriguez in just 30 seconds, calls out Leon Edwards after UFC Belgrade main event

Published

13 hours ago

on

August 1, 2026

By

Uros Medic lays waste to Daniel Rodriguez in just 30 seconds, calls out Leon Edwards after UFC Belgrade main event

Uros Medic delivered another devastating first-round finish but this one bigger than any other for him personally as he did it in front of his home audience in the UFC Belgrade main event.

The always exciting welterweight needed just 30 seconds to deliver an emphatic knockout after he caught Daniel Rodriguez with a lightning quick left followed by a nasty right behind it that put the American down on the canvas. Medic continued dropping bombs from the top until referee Jason Herzog had to rescue Rodriguez to end the fight.

The official stoppage came at just 30 seconds into the opening round.

Afterwards, Medic was understandably emotional as the crowd chanted his name after the stunning victory.

“It's been a really rough couple of weeks since I arrived,†Medic explained after the win. “I couldn't feel like home even though I was on home soil. Now we got the job done and I just want to cry. I missed home so much.

“I'm going to cook the rest of this division. With you guys by my side, we are going to bring the belt to Serbia!â€

Quickly becoming one of the most must-see fighters in the UFC, Medic looked calm and poised to strike as soon as the fight started. He set up his combination as he stepped into throw the left hand that clipped Rodriguez and he immediately had the right hand cocked behind it.

Once that right hand landed, Rodriguez went down and there was little chance he was getting up again. Medic just unloaded on him with punches and the referee had no choice but to stop the fight before Rodriguez suffered further damage.

Now riding a five-fight win streak — all by first round knockout — Medic has designs on taking out a former champion in his next fight, which is the same opponent he called for after he knocked out Geoff Neal in his last outing.

“Listen there's guys I'd love to fight like Carlos Prates, he's way ahead of me in the division but that would be a fight to remember,†Medic said. “I asked for Leon Edwards, I think he's still in hiding. If he decides to come out of the hole he shoved himself into, I'll gladly be next to knock him out.â€

No matter who is next, Medic has clearly announced himself as a real player at welterweight and if he can continue this win streak, he's going to be knocking on the door of title contention sooner than later.

Continue Reading

MMA

Pros react after Uros Medic destroys Daniel Rodriguez at UFC Belgrade

Published

13 hours ago

on

August 1, 2026

By

Pros react after Uros Medic destroys Daniel Rodriguez at UFC Belgrade
Trending:

REPORT: Charles Oliveira set to defend BMF title in UFC 331 headliner

Today's UFC Belgrade event was headlined by a welterweight bout featuring Uros Medic taking on Daniel Rodriguez.

Medic (14-3 MMA) had entered today's main event on a three-fight winning streak, this after scoring first-round finishes over Gilbert Urbina, Muslim Salikhov and Geoff Neal in his most recent efforts. The surging Serbian had gone 4-1 over his past five Octagon appearances prior to today's affair.

Meanwhile, Daniel Rodriguez (20-6 MMA) had also enter today's headliner on a 3-fight winning streak. ‘D-Rod' had most previously competed inside of the cage last July at UFC 318, where he scored a unanimous decision victory over Kevin Holland. That triumph was preceded by a TKO win over Santiago Ponzinibbio in May of 2025.

This afternoon's UFC Belgrade headliner proved to be a short-lived affair. Uros Medic was able to rock Daniel Rodriguez in the early seconds with a 3-punch combination and then sent him crashing to the canvas with a body kick. From there, ‘The Doctor' proceeded to land another kick to the body of ‘D-Rod', this before ultimately finishing the contest with ground and pound. The fight itself lasted just 30-seconds, and marked Uros' fourth straight first-round stoppage victory.

Official UFC Belgrade Results: Uros Medic def. Daniel Rodriguez via TKO (soccer kick to the body and punches) at 0:30 of Round 1

Check out how the pros reacted to ‘Medic vs. Rodriguez below:

Who would you like to see Uros Medic fight next following his 30-second TKO victory over Daniel Rodriguez this afternoon in Serbia? Share your thoughts in the comment section PENN Nation!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

Continue Reading
Advertisement

OUR NEWSLETTER

Subscribe Us To Receive Our Latest News Directly In Your Inbox!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Trending