Medic Flattens Rodriguez In 30 Seconds, Calls Out Edwards

Uros Medic needed half a minute to dismantle Daniel Rodriguez in front of a roaring Belgrade Arena crowd Saturday night.

The Serbian welterweight landed a crisp left-right combination that dropped Rodriguez to the canvas, then followed with ground strikes that forced referee Jason Herzog to wave off the contest at the 30-second mark of round one. MMA Fighting reported the finish marked Medic's fourth consecutive opening-round stoppage and extended his career-long streak of never having a fight reach the scorecards.

Medic Targets Former Champion After Finish

Medic turned emotional after the win, telling the crowd he wanted to cry and admitting the fight week had been rough despite being on home soil. "I'm going to cook the rest of this division," he said, per MMA Fighting. "With you guys by my side, we are going to bring the belt to Serbia."

The 14-3 contender then doubled down on the callout he made after stopping Geoff Neal in his previous outing. "I asked for Leon Edwards, I think he's still in hiding," Medic said. "If he decides to come out of the hole he shoved himself into, I'll gladly be next to knock him out." He also mentioned interest in a clash with rising Carlos Prates, though he acknowledged Prates sits higher in the rankings.

BJPenn.com noted former welterweight champion Belal Muhammad reacted to the performance by writing "Wow that was freaky fast," while analyst Alan Jouban posted that Medic would make a great champion, calling him passionate, thoughtful, and an absolute killer inside the octagon. Henry Cejudo added that 30 seconds was all it took.

Medic has now won five straight, all by first-round knockout. Rodriguez entered the bout on a three-fight win streak that included a decision over Kevin Holland and a stoppage of Santiago Ponzinibbio. UFC Belgrade marked the promotion's debut in Serbia.

Original reporting:

• mmafighting.com — UFC Belgrade post show: Reaction to Uros Medic’s star-making knockout over Daniel Rodriguez | MMA Fighting
• mmafighting.com — ‘Freaky fast’: Pros react to Uros Medic’s star-making knockout over Daniel Rodriguez in UFC Belgrade main event | MMA Fighting
• mmafighting.com — Uros Medic lays waste to Daniel Rodriguez in just 30 seconds, calls out Leon Edwards after UFC Belgrade main event | MMA Fighting
• bjpenn.com — Pros react after Uros Medic destroys Daniel Rodriguez at UFC Belgrade | BJPenn.com