Uroš Medić Wants To Gatecrash The Welterweight Elite

"Mistakes happen in every sport, every athlete," said Medić, as he recalled the Soriano fight. 

"This is one of those times where I wasn't cautious enough, and it happened. Thirty seconds is all it took. Changing that into the last two fights, I came in a lot more prepared, mentally, and a lot more alert, and it resulted, obviously, in me knocking the guys out. So it was one of those lessons that you never forget, and it doesn't happen again."

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Those two knockout performances perfectly encapsulated what Medić is all about as a fighter, as he showcased his forward pressure and pinpoint striking to claim knockouts nine and 10 of his professional career. Throw two submission victories into the mix and Medić, who has never seen the judges' scorecards in his 15-fight career, 

"I think the fans know as well as the fighters that are facing me that they're in for a treat," he said. 

"It's going to be a fight. There's no hugging, there's no love lost. We're just coming in to fight and coming to put on a good performance. So that's going to be one of those fights again. I'm going to make sure that I am the main event for that night, and I'm going to put on the most exciting performance."

Being a fight finisher is something that means a lot to Medić, who explained that a finisher's mindset makes them stand out from the pack, and he cited two of the UFC's all-time greats as examples of fighters who racked up finishes through their relentless pursuit of their opponents.

"You know, Jon Jones... Khabib (Nurmagomedov) was always interesting – he's had a lot of finishes. A lot of them came from grappling, but it was still super exciting to see him," he offered.

"Now, (Islam) Makhachev in my weight class, then another guy in my weight class. JDM (Jack Della Maddalena). These are all exciting fighters, some of them that I would love to face down the road, as well. 

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"It's just exciting to see when guys are just trying to finish the fight up to the last minute of that fight, which is what I do, and I take a lot of pride in that. I think that's how fights should be fought, not trying to win on points. It's not a point game, but a fight, and that's what I come to do.

"I prefer to finish the fight early as soon as I can, because – I've said it before and I'll say it again – we don't get paid by the hour. We get paid by the job. So, whether that job is done in five seconds or 15 minutes or 25 minutes, it's up to the fighters. 

"Obviously, some guys are tougher than the others (and) it takes a little longer. You've seen me going to the third round, and late third round, I finished Matthew Semelsberger in Utah, so it's not unheard of for me to go the distance. But honestly, I prefer to keep it short and sweet and get that out of the way, and then enjoy the rest of the night, watch the other fights, and celebrate with my friends. 

"We put in a lot of work in the gym, year-round. I don't need to be in the cage for all of the 15 minutes waiting on the judges to make their decision. I don't want that. I want to finish that fight and knock somebody out and get the performance recognition and move forward."

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Thanks to his quickfire finishes of Urbina and Salikhov in his last two outings, Medić gets the chance to make a big jump up the welterweight ladder with a bout against the division's No. 12-ranked contender, Geoff Neal. It's exactly the opportunity Medić was hoping for, and against a fighter whose fighting style offers him the chance to showcase his skills to the fullest.

"Oh, it was amazing. I mean, I thought it was everything I dreamed of," he said about being offered the matchup.