Uros Medic put on a statement performance to stop Daniel Rodriguez in just 30 seconds at the UFC's first event in Belgrade, Serbia. Medic returned to his homeland for the first time in nine years, having moved to the United States to train. Rodriguez, 39, was fighting for the first time since spending eight months in a Mexican jail for possession of marijuana. Medic dropped Rodriguez with a left-right combination before forcing referee Jason Herzog to step in as he finished with kicks and punches on the canvas.

"It has been a really rough couple of weeks since I arrived home," Medic said. "It didn't feel like home even though I was on home soil." I missed home so much - nine years is a long time. I left as a student at 22 years old with a dream and look where it got me."

It was Medic's fourth successive first-round victory and takes his overall record to 14-3. Serbia became the 33rd country to host a UFC card. The number 14-ranked welterweight turned his attention to Birmingham's Leon Edwards and number-one contender Carlos Prates, with Medic calling for a potential showdown with Edwards.