Connect with us

MMA

UFC 329 results: Mario Bautista badly damages Cory Sandhagen’s leg, gets his revenge with unanimous decision win

Published

3 weeks ago

on

UFC 329 results: Mario Bautista badly damages Cory Sandhagen’s leg, gets his revenge with unanimous decision win

Mario Bautista had to wait seven years but he finally got his revenge with a win over Cory Sandhagen at UFC 329 on Saturday.

After making his debut on seven days' notice and falling to Sandhagen back in 2019, Bautista showed how much he's improved in every facet of his game. He scored a knockdown on Sandhagen and nearly took of his opponent's leg after Royval nearly snatched a Suloev stretch followed by a kneebar attempt.

When it was over, Bautista got the nod with all three judges scoring the fight 29-28 in his favor.

“I lost my debut against him,†Bautista said after the win. “I knew I could beat him, I just had to be prepared. It was just crazy how it turned about. Manifestation. I was trying to rip everything off. At the end of the round, I saw him walking to his corner limping. I'll always finish strong.

“I think it says a lot about myself. I think I deserve that next shot at the title.â€

Bautista scored with a couple of body kicks to open the fight but Sandhagen was quick to counter with a stiff punch that rattled the veteran bantamweight. That led to Bautista looking for a takedown as Sandhagen resisted with both fighters jockeying for position against the cage.

Bautista eventually separated and unleashed a barrage of punches with several shots getting through Sandhagen's defense. He also connected with a well-timed left hook with Sandhagen firing back with a long jab of his own.

Another devastating series of shots from Bautista had Sandhagen backing up before a late takedown nearly led to a Suloev stretch. While Sandhagen eventually broke free, Bautista definitely had his leg in serious trouble as the round came to an end.

After the round, Sandhagen limped to his corner and he was still favoring his leg on the restart. Bautista took advantage kicking away at Sandhagen's leg and moving side to side to make his opponent move with him.

To his credit, Sandhagen was still finding a home for some of his strikes and he wasn't backing down. He even managed to open a small cut on the side of Bautista's head. Sandhagen was doing just enough to stay ahead with Bautista's output slowing down.

As the final round got started, Bautista blasted Sandhagen with a huge left hook that put the former title challenger down on the canvas. Bautista jumped down, looking for the finish but Sandhagen was quick to grab a leg to at least slow him down.

Back on the feet, Bautista was still gunning for the knockout before landing another takedown and trying to take Sandhagen's back. Sandhagen broke free and he started marching forward because the round was definitely slipping away from him after the knockdown.

Bautista continued to outgrapple Sandhagen, scoring multiple takedowns and controlling the action on the ground. But Sandhagen eventually battled back and looked for a takedown of his own as he put Bautista on the ground for a split second.

Unfortunately it was too little, too late as the damage mounted by Bautista won him the round and ultimately the fight as he picks up arguably the biggest win of his career.

With a two fight win streak, Bautista puts himself in position for a massive fight when he competes next as he anxiously awaits bantamweight champion Petr Yan to make his return sometime later this year.

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

19 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

20 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

20 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