Athletes
Uroš Medić Is Back On Track
Serbian Striker Has His Sights Set On The Welterweight Top 15, And Says A Win Over Muslim Salikhov Will Get Him Exactly Where He Wants To Be
At the start of 2025, Uroš Medić set himself the goal of reaching the UFC’s welterweight top 15. And while those plans took a major hit just 11 days into the year, “The Doctor” has bounced back and is now looking to put himself on the cusp of the 170-pound rankings before the end of the year.
Matched with Punahele Soriano on January 11, Medić suffered the first knockout loss of his MMA career. Aside from injury, it was just about the worst possible start to the year. Things went from bad to worse when he was forced to withdraw from the planned bout with Khaos Williams.
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It meant the pressure was on when he finally returned to the Octagon on August 9 at the UFC APEX. But with the stakes high, Medić recovered from an early knockdown to knock out Gilbert Urbina after just 63 seconds to get back into the win column in emphatic fashion.
Chatting to UFC.com about that win, Medić was incredibly matter-of-fact about it, and played down the drama of the bout as he focused on what mattered – the win.
“Just like always, getting a win is important,” he said.
“I feel like for every competitor, you work so hard all the time, getting a win is like icing on the cake. So yeah, it was pretty important.”
It certainly was. That victory now puts Medić on the upswing as he heads into this weekend’s UFC Fight Night: Bonfim vs Brown card in Las Vegas. Medić has been handed another tricky test in the form of Russian striking ace Muslim Salikhov, but Medić seems relaxed and happy to be able to get one more fight in and have the chance to stack wins and carry some momentum into the new year.
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“He's knocking on the door to the top 15,” said Medić.
“And I thought it was amazing, the timing, that it fit both of us to fight, and I want to get to the top 15 (too).
“I think it's the perfect opportunity for me to put on a good performance, and I'll be knocking on that door. At the beginning of 2026, they'll see me in the top 15.”
After an injury-hit couple of years, Medić was happy to just be able to bounce straight back into training after the Urbina win. He’s at his happiest when he’s in training, and after a quick spot of R&R, he was back in the gym again.
“Yeah, I just went back straight to training,” he explained. I usually always do. As long as I have no injuries, no health issues, I go straight back to the training room.
“I did take a week or so off. I went to Alaska for a little bit. I just had a little rest, recharge, a nature session, and went straight back to California and back to training.
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“I knew I wanted to fight at least once more this year, and it's perfect timing, right before the holidays, right before the snowboarding season. Everything is going the way I wanted it, so I'm pretty excited.”
Medić isn’t the only one excited for his upcoming fight. His matchup with Salikhov pits two natural strikers head-to-head in a mouth-watering matchup. “The King of Kung-Fu” has finished 14 of his 22 career wins by knockout, and heads into the weekend off back-to-back first-round knockouts of Song Kenan and Carlos Leal.
Salikhov’s sanda striking style isn’t the most common you’ll see in the UFC, but Medić said he’s got the perfect training partner to prepare for the Russian’s dizzying array of strikes.
“It’s nothing I haven't seen before,” said Medić.
“My training camp at Kings MMA – you've seen Giga Chikadze, one of the best kickboxers in the world. He's been with me training for the last five years. The spinning kicks, the spinning strikes, it's nothing I haven't seen.
“Also, some of those things I do myself, as well. I've had spinning elbow knockouts. I know why the matchmakers made the match – it's gonna be a good fight, no doubt about it. So I'm excited.
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“I think I have an advantage in the boxing segment of the fight. He's definitely a good kicker – I'll always be cautious with that, but I think my hands are better and quicker.
“He's been a fighter for most of his life, competing as an amateur and professionally, so I know he's going to have more experience. But I also know that he's almost 42 years old, so that's going to play a role, especially if we get into the later rounds. So I think we're in for a treat either way.”
Both men are seasoned strikers, but in MMA, there’s a plethora of other techniques and weapons at both men’s disposal, and Medić said that he’ll use whatever facet of his mixed martial arts game will get him to victory in the swiftest way possible, even if that means switching from striking to wrestling.
“Very possibly. I mean, why not?” he said.
“It's an MMA fight. I think every segment of the fight should be utilized as much as possible. But, yeah, it’s there on the table. So we'll see whoever shoots first, you know? It's also going to be a sign of something, you know? Why did a striker shoot? You know that he feels something, so we'll see.
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“I have no intention to (go to the scorecards). We don't get paid by the hour, so I don't try to spend too much time in the cage. I get in, get the job done, get out.”
For Medić, the plan is clear. Beat Salikhov as quickly as possible, then set his sights on ranked opposition to kick off 2026.
“Pretty much the top 15 should be the next matchup after,” he said.
“After I beat him, one more (win), I should be right at the door, if not already in the top 15 conversation. So, yeah, that's basically what I'm aiming for.
“My goal has been the top 15 this year. I did have a rough start in January in my first fight (of the year), but we're here to fix all of that. You’re only as good as your last fight. That's how it goes. This is not like boxing (where) you lose once, and it's the end of the world. We get to fight another day, and we get to fix our mistakes.
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“In this business, and something I really like about it, is that you only need one good year. Like, if you have one good year, you can get to the conversation of the title, the conversation of the top 15, top 10, whatever it is that you're aiming for.”
UFC Fight Night: Bonfim vs Brown took place live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on November 8, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!