Bojan Veličković ( sr, Бојан Величковић; born December 18, 1988) is a Serbian

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

and sambist currently competing in the

Welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify the ...

division. A professional competitor since 2010, he has competed for the

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

Professional Fighters League The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is an American mixed martial arts league founded by venture capitalist Donn Davis in 2017 and launched in 2018, following the acquisition and restructuring of the former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) promot ...

, and RFA, where he was the Welterweight Champion.

Background

Born and raised in

Novi Sad Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; hu, Újvidék, ; german: Neusatz; see below for other names) is the second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pan ...

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

, Veličković began training in

judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponi ...

at the age of ten, before transitioning to

Muay Thai Muay Thai ( th, มวยไทย, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, is a combat sport that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This discipline is known as the "art of eight limbs", as it is characterised ...

at 14. Then at the age of 22, he began training in

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting (ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

and

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

. In Muay Thai, Veličković holds a record of 14–2.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Veličković was a gold medalist in amateur MMA at the FILA World Wrestling Federation before making his professional debut in 2010 as part of the "Road to the Ring of Fire"

reality show Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

. Veličković won all four fights and the show. He then began competing for the Tesla Fighting Championship in his native

, where he was also Welterweight champion.

Resurrection Fighting Alliance

After compiling a professional record of 9–2, Veličković signed with the promotion in 2014. After losing his promotional debut to former UFC competitor and Ultimate Fighter Season 17 contestant Gilbert Smith, he won his next four fights with the promotion, capturing the Welterweight Championship in his final fight before signing with the UFC.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Veličković signed with the UFC after compiling a record of 13–3 first and relocating to

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

. Veličković made his promotional debut against

Alessio Di Chirico Alessio Di Chirico (born December 12, 1989) is an Italian former mixed martial artist who competed in Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Di Chirico was born in Rome, Italy. He attended University of Fo ...

on April 10, 2016 at

UFC Fight Night 86 ''UFC Fight Night: Rothwell vs. dos Santos'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 86'') was a mixed martial arts event held on April 10, 2016, at the Arena Zagreb in Zagreb, Croatia. Background The event was the first that the organization has host ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, and 30–27). Veličković next faced

Michael Graves Michael Graves (July 9, 1934 – March 12, 2015) was an American architect, designer, and educator, as well as principal of Michael Graves and Associates and Michael Graves Design Group. He was a member of The New York Five and the Memphis Gr ...

on July 30, 2016 at

UFC 201 ''UFC 201: Lawler vs. Woodley'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on July 30, 2016, at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. Background This was the third event that the organization has hosted in Atl ...

. The bout was declared a majority draw. Veličković faced Sultan Aliev on December 17, 2016 at

UFC on Fox 22 ''UFC on Fox: VanZant vs. Waterson'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 22'') was a mixed martial arts event promoted by the Ultimate Fighting Championship and held on December 17, 2016, at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. Background After pr ...

. He lost the fight via split decision. Veličković faced

Nico Musoke Nicholas "Nico" Musoke (born April 5, 1986) is a Swedish mixed martial artist who competes in the middleweight division of Swedish promotion Superior Challenge. A professional mixed martial artist since 2007, Musoke has also competed in the Ultim ...

on May 28, 2017 at

UFC Fight Night 109 ''UFC Fight Night: Gustafsson vs. Teixeira'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 109'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on May 28, 2017, at Ericsson Globe in Stockholm, Sweden. Background Preliminar ...

. He won the fight by knockout in the third round. This win also earned Veličković his first ''Performance of the Night'' bonus award. Veličković fought

Darren Till Darren Till (born 24 December 1992) is an English professional mixed martial artist and former Muay Thai fighter. He currently competes in the middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of December 13, 2022, he is # ...

on September 2, 2017 at UFC Fight Night: Struve vs. Volkov, losing the bout in a unanimous decision. Veličković faced Jake Matthews on November 19, 2017 at

UFC Fight Night 121 ''UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Tybura'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 121'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on November 19, 2017, at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia. Background This ev ...

. He lost the fight via split decision, and was subsequently released from the promotion.

PFL

After the release from the UFC, Veličković signed with

, participating the inaugural season's welterweight bracket. He advanced from the regular season to quarterfinals where he eventually was eliminated, but was brought back to semifinals due to an injury of

Abubakar Nurmagomedov Abubakar Magomedovich Nurmagomedov (born November 13, 1989) is a Russian mixed martial artist, who is currently competing in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is a three-time Combat Sambo World Championship bron ...

. He lost the semifinal bout against Magomed Magomedkerimov via second round knockout. Veličković also participated in the 2019 season of the Professional Fighters League, ending up losing both of his regular season bouts and not advancing to the playoffs.

Post-PFL career

Veličković was expected to face Escley Araujo at Serbian Battle Championship 27 on March 14, 2020. However, Araujo withdrew from the bout due to an injury and was replaced by Danillo Santos. Veličković won the fight via second-round submission. Veličković then challenged Vladislav Kanchev for the SBC Welterweight Championship at Serbian Battle Championship 29 on November 7, 2020. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

OKTAGON

As the first bout of his three-fight contract with OKTAGON MMA, Veličković faced Emmanuel Dawa at OKTAGON 25 on June 19, 2021. He won the fight via technical knockout after the first round. In his sophomore appearance he faced Carlo Prater at OKTAGON 27 on September 11, 2021. He won the fight via first-round technical knockout. Veličković faced David Kozma for the Oktagon MMA Welterweight Championship on December 4, 2021 at Oktagon 29. He lost the bout via TKO in the 4th round. Veličković faced Máté Kertész on March 26, 2022 at Oktagon Prime 5. He won the bout via unanimous decision. Veličković faced Leandro Silva on October 15, 2022 at Oktagon 36. He lost the bout via split decision.

Championships and accomplishments

Resurrection Fighting Alliance Legacy Fighting Alliance is an American mixed martial arts promotion, created as a result of the ''Legacy Fighting Championship'' and ''Resurrection Fighting Alliance'' merger in early 2017. History Resurrection Fighting Alliance On October 11, ...

**Welterweight Champion *Tesla Fighting Championship **Middleweight Champion *

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

Performance of the Night UFC Bonus Awards are three separate cash bonuses usually awarded to four fighters after each UFC event, based on internal decisions by UFC management. More/fewer bonuses have been awarded at some events, especially when no knockouts or submissions ...

(One time) vs.

* Serbian Battle Championship **SBC Welterweight Championship (one time; current)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 21–12–2 , Leandro Silva , Decision (split) , OKTAGON 36 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

, Germany , , - , Win , align=center, 21–11–2 , Máté Kertész , Decision (unanimous) , OKTAGON Prime 5 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Samorin, Slovakia , , - , Loss , align=center, 20–11–2 , David Kozma , TKO (punches) , OKTAGON 29 , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 3:16 ,

Ostrava Ostrava (; pl, Ostrawa; german: Ostrau ) is a city in the north-east of the Czech Republic, and the capital of the Moravian-Silesian Region. It has about 280,000 inhabitants. It lies from the border with Poland, at the confluences of four rive ...

, Czech Republic , , - , Win , align=center, 20–10–2 , Carlo Prater , TKO (punches) , OKTAGON 27 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:44 ,

Bratislava Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approxim ...

, Slovakia , , - , Win , align=center, 19–10–2 , Emmanuel Dawa , TKO (doctor stoppage) , OKTAGON 25 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Brno Brno ( , ; german: Brünn ) is a city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers, Brno has about 380,000 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the Czech Republic ...

, Czech Republic , , - , Win , align=center, 18–10–2 , Vladislav Kanchev , Decision (unanimous) , Serbian Battle Championship 29 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Serbia , , - , Win , align=center, 17–10–2 , Danillo Santos , Submission (guillotine choke) , Serbian Battle Championship 27 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:59 , Vrbas, Serbia , , - , Loss , align=center, , João Zeferino , Decision (unanimous) , PFL 4 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–9–2 , Handesson Ferreira , Decision (unanimous) , PFL 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Uniondale, New York Uniondale is a census-designated place (CDP), as well as a suburb in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, New York (state), New York, on Long Island, in the Town of Hempstead, New York, Town of Hempstead. The population was 32,473 at the 2020 ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–8–2 , Magomed Magomedkerimov , TKO (punches) , rowspan=2, PFL 10 , rowspan=2, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:13 , rowspan=2 ,

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, United States , , - , Draw , align=center, 16–7–2 ,

, Draw (unanimous) , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–7–1 , Magomed Magomedkerimov , Decision (unanimous) , PFL 6 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–6–1 , Jonatan Westin , TKO (punches) , PFL 3 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:50 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–6–1 , Jake Matthews , Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Tybura , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, Australia , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–5–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Struve , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...

, Netherlands , , - , Win , align=center, 15–4–1 ,

, KO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Gustafsson vs. Teixeira , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:37 ,

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

, Sweden , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–4–1 , Sultan Aliev , Decision (split) , UFC on Fox: VanZant vs. Waterson , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

, United States , , - , Draw , align=center, 14–3–1 ,

, Draw (majority) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–3 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Rothwell vs. dos Santos , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

, Croatia , , - , Win , align=center, 13–3 , Benjamin Smith , Submission (guillotine choke) , RFA 34: Veličković vs. Smith , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:51 ,

Broomfield, Colorado Broomfield is a consolidated city and county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. Broomfield has a consolidated government which operates under Article XX, Sections 10-13 of the Constitution of the State of Colorado. The Broomfield populati ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–3 , Vardan Sholinian , Decision (unanimous) , RFA 31: Smith vs. Marunde , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–3 , Charles Byrd , Decision (unanimous) , AXS TV Fights: RFA vs. Legacy Superfight , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Robinsonville, Mississippi Tunica Resorts, formerly known as Robinsonville until 2005,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–3 , Chris Hugh , TKO (punches) , RFA 24: Smith vs. Romero , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:40 ,

Prior Lake, Minnesota Prior Lake is an exurban city southwest of Minneapolis seated next to Savage and Shakopee in Scott County in the state of Minnesota. Surrounding the shores of Lower and Upper Prior Lake, the city lies south of the Minnesota River in an area kn ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–3 , Gilbert Smith , Decision (majority) , RFA 20: Sanders vs. Mercado , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–2 , Nikolay Aleksakhin , Submission (guillotine choke) , Tesla FC 4 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:35 ,

Pančevo Pančevo (Serbian Cyrillic: Панчево, ; german: Pantschowa; hu, Pancsova; ro, Panciova; sk, Pánčevo) is a city and the administrative center of the South Banat District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. It is located on ...

, Serbia , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–2 ,

Krzysztof Jotko Krzysztof Jotko (born August 19, 1989) is a Polish mixed martial artist currently competing in the Middleweight division. He has previously fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Born and raised in Orneta, Poland, Jotko was ori ...

, Decision (majority) , MMA Attack 3 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Katowice Katowice ( , , ; szl, Katowicy; german: Kattowitz, yi, קאַטעוויץ, Kattevitz) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Upper Silesian metropolitan area. It is the 11th most popul ...

, Poland , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Tomáš Kužela , Submission (rear-naked choke) , MMA Attack 3 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A ,

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

, Czech Republic , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Jiří Procházka , TKO (punches) , Supreme FC 1: Balkan Fighter Night , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

, Serbia , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–1 , Svetlozar Savov , Decision (split) , WFC 17 - Olimp: Live & Fight , , align=center, 3 , align=center, N/A ,

Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the ar ...

, Slovenia , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Marko Lukačić , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Tesla FC 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, Serbia , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Jason Lee , KO (punches) , Ring of Fire 41: Bragging Rights , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:39 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Nemanja Uverić , Submission (guillotine choke) , Tesla FC 1 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A ,

, Serbia , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Svetislav Nikolajev , Submission (armbar) , Tesla FC 1 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A ,

, Serbia , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Marko Ignjatović , Submission (heel hook) , Ring of Fire Europe 2/3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:57 ,

Subotica Subotica ( sr-cyrl, Суботица, ; hu, Szabadka) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the North Bačka District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. Formerly the largest city of Vojvodina region, ...

, Serbia , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Vladimir Jovanović , Submission (armbar) , Ring of Fire Europe 2/3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:59 ,

, Serbia ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Veličković, Bojan Living people Serbian male mixed martial artists 1988 births Sportspeople from Novi Sad Welterweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai Mixed martial artists utilizing judo Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Serbian Muay Thai practitioners Serbian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Serbian male judoka