Brutal Knockout of Ex-UFC Champion Produces Major Shakeup in UFC Rankings

The UFC light heavyweight division officially has a new title contender following the latest update to the promotion’s official rankings.

Following a return to Abu Dhabi to close out July, the UFC made promotional history last weekend by hosting its first-ever event in Serbia at Belgrade Arena.

The UFC Fight Night card also set a modern UFC record for most finishes at an event, as a staggering total of 12 out of 14 fights ended inside the distance during the course of the night.

Navajo Stirling Vaults Into Title Contention After UFC Belgrade Win

UFC Belgrade produced a few notable changes in the UFC rankings, and few fans would argue that the night’s biggest winner was undefeated light heavyweight Navajo Stirling.

Coming into the night with a 10-0 record that included six wins since joining the UFC off of Dana White’s Contender Series, Stirling stepped in on a short notice to face Jan Błachowicz in the co-main event after Bogdan Grad was pulled to fight Magomed Ankalaev at UFC Abu Dhabi.

Jan Blachowicz and Navajo Stirling during weigh-ins for UFC Fight Night at Belgrade Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Stirling was a sizeable favorite to get the win in Belgrade, but few fans predicted that he’d brutally knock out the extremely-durable Błachowicz just over halfway into the opening round.

Jan Błachowicz (red gloves) fights Navajo Stirling (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Belgrade Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Following the biggest win of his career over a former UFC champion, Stirling vaulted up 10 spots in the Meta UFC light heavyweight rankings and now sits as the division’s #5-ranked contender.

Uros Medic Moves Up After 30-Second KO in UFC Belgrade Headliner

After Stirling shocked Błachowicz in the UFC Belgrade co-main event, Uros Medic only needed 30 seconds to stop Daniel Rodriguez in the card’s headlining bout.

Uros Medic (red gloves) fights Daniel Rodriguez (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Belgrade Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Medic entered his first UFC main event following three-straight wins, all of which came inside the first round to preserve the Serbian’s 100% finishing rate in his professional MMA career.

Uros Medic after beating Daniel Rodriguez (not shown) during UFC Fight Night at Belgrade Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“The Doctor” moved up two spots to #12 in the welterweight rankings, while Rodriguez stayed put at #15 after losing his first fight in more than two years.

Aleksandar Rakić Debuts in UFC Heavyweight Rankings, Ramazan Temirov Boosted by 1st-Round KO

UFC Belgrade also saw longtime light heavyweight staple Aleksandar Rakić make his heavyweight debut against Marcin Tybura as part of the night’s main card.

After dropping four-straight fights in the light heavyweight divison, Rakić returned to the win column in Serbia when he took a unanimous decision over Tybura and broke into the heavyweight rankings at #11.

Aleksandar Rakic (red gloves) fights Marcin Tybura (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Belgrade Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The other rankings movements produced by UFC Belgrade came in the flyweight division, as Ramazan Temirov brutally knocked out former title challenger Steve Erceg to extend an unbeaten start to his UFC career and jump up three places to #10 at 125 lbs.

Ramazan Temirov knocked Stever Erceg out late in the opening round at UFC Belgrade. | (Zuffa LLC)

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