UFC Spectacle

A Bloody Victory! Graz Fighter Seizes His Last Chance

Grad has been preparing for his UFC career at Champions Gym for years(Bild: krone.at, Instagram/UFC Europe)

For Bogdan Grad, everything was on the line in his fourth UFC fight in Belgrade! Although the Graz fighter suffered a bloody cut, he was finally able to celebrate again in the end. Only his opponent was left completely baffled.

With 27 seconds left in the second round, the referee stopped the fight between Bogdan Grad and Dennis Buzukja and declared the 30-year-old fighter from the Ettl Brothers’ gym in Graz the winner.

“I feel great, I feel wonderful,” Grad told the packed arena in Belgrade during his post-fight interview, despite a deep cut gaping open over his right eye. But the joy of his second victory in the billion-dollar UFC outweighed everything—because it was a crucial win in Grad’s fourth and final fight under his debut contract. Another loss would likely have ended his dream of staying in the combat sports league. 

Did he or didn’t he?
The defeated Buzukja, however, was completely baffled at the moment of his loss: The referee had stopped the fight because he had seen the American tapping out while caught in Grad’s armbar. Buzukja later denied this.

Grad proved himself a gracious winner: “I didn’t feel it (the tapping), but the referees here are professionals and I trust them.” What happens next with his UFC career will be decided in the coming weeks. In any case, the Graz-based fighter has certainly made his mark in Belgrade. On his way back to the locker room, he told the fans: “I’m not here to cuddle. I’m here to hurt people. I’m going to stay in this organization. I’ll do everything in my power to make that happen!”