Bojan Veličković (; born December 18, 1988) is a Serbian retired

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

and sambist. He was 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 th ...

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 TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

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 RFA may refer to: Groups, organizations * Radio Free Asia, a private news broadcaster and publisher in East Asia, funded in part by the U.S. government * Renewable Fuels Agency, a former UK renewable fuel regulatory agency * Renewable Fuels A ...

, where he was the Welterweight Champion. He competed in Oktagon MMA, where he won the 16-men Oktagon MMA Welterweight Tournament.

Background

Born and raised in

Novi Sad Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; #Name, see below for other names) is the List of cities in Serbia, second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pannoni ...

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

, Veličković began training in

judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, 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 Encyc ...

at the age of ten, before transitioning to

Muay Thai Muay Thai or Muaythai (, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, the Art of Eight Limbs or the Science of Eight Limbs, is a Thai martial art and full-contact combat sport that uses stand-up striking, sweeps, and various clinch fighting, cl ...

at 14. Then at the age of 22, he began training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...

. 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 ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...

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

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

, 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 is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

. Veličković made his promotional debut against Alessio Di Chirico on April 10, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 86. 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, and principal of Michael Graves and Associates and Michael Graves Design Group. He was a member of The New York Five and the Memphis Group and ...

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. 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 Ultima ...

on May 28, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 109. 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 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. 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 was formerly competing in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He has also previously competed for the Professio ...

. 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 MMA

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. Veličković faced Ion Surdu on March 4, 2023, at Oktagon 40 in the Oktagon Welterweight Tournament Round of 16, winning bout via the anaconda choke in the first round. In the Quarterfinals, Veličković faced Christian Jungwirth on June 17, 2023, at Oktagon 44, winning the bout and advancing via unanimous decision. The semi-finals saw Veličković face David Kozma on September 16, 2023, at Oktagon 46, knocking him out in the first round. In the finals, Veličković faced Andreas Michailidis on December 29, 2023, submitting him in the third round via rear-naked choke to win the 300 thousand euro prize for winning the tournament.

Championships and accomplishments

* Oktagon MMA ** 2023 Oktagon Welterweight Tournament *

Resurrection Fighting Alliance The Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Houston, Texas. It was created as a result of the Legacy Fighting Championship and Resurrection Fighting Alliance merger in 2016. History Resu ...

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

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

** Performance of the Night (One time) vs.

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

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 25–13–2 , Ronald Paradeiser , TKO (leg injury) , Oktagon 72 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:31 ,

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

, Czech Republic , , - , Win , align=center, 25–12–2 , Andreas Michailidis , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Oktagon 51 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:21 ,

, Czech Republic , , - , Win , align=center, 24–12–2 , David Kozma , KO (punches) , Oktagon 46 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:45 ,

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

, Germany , , - , Win , align=center, 23–12–2 , Christian Jungwirth , Decision (unanimous) , Oktagon 44 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Oberhausen Oberhausen (, ) is a city on the river Emscher in the Ruhr Area, Germany, located between Duisburg and Essen ( ). The city hosts the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen and its Gasometer Oberhausen is an anchor point of the European Rout ...

, Germany , , - , Win , align=center, 22–12–2 , Ion Surdu , Submission (anaconda choke) , Oktagon 40 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:55 ,

Ostrava Ostrava (; ; ) is a city in the north-east of the Czech Republic and the capital of the Moravian-Silesian Region. It has about 283,000 inhabitants. It lies from the border with Poland, at the confluences of four rivers: Oder, Opava (river), Opa ...

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

, Germany , , - , Win , align=center, 21–11–2 , Máté Kertész , Decision (unanimous) , Oktaon 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 ,

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

Bratislava Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...

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

Brno Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...

, 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 (2019) , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–9–2 , Handesson Ferreira , Decision (unanimous) , PFL 1 (2019) , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Uniondale, New York Uniondale is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in central Nassau County, New York, on Long Island, in the Town of Hempstead, within the New York metropolitan area. The population was 32,473 at the time of the 2020 United States census ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–8–2 , Magomed Magomedkerimov , TKO (punches) , rowspan=2, PFL 10 (2018) , rowspan=2, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:13 , rowspan=2 ,

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, 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 (2018) , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–6–1 , Jonatan Westin , TKO (punches) , PFL 3 (2018) , , 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 States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, Australia , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–5–1 , Darren Till , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Struve , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...

, 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, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

, 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 Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat, seat of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento Rive ...

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

, Draw (majority) ,

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

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–3 , Alessio Di Chirico , 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, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

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

Broomfield, Colorado Broomfield is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county located in the United States, U.S. Colorado, state of Colorado. It has a consolidated government which operates under Article XX, Sect ...

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

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–3 , Charles Byrd , Decision (unanimous) , RFA vs. Legacy FC 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Robinsonville, Mississippi Tunica Resorts,Prior Lake, Minnesota Prior Lake is an exurban city southwest of Minneapolis, next to Savage and Shakopee in Scott County in the U.S. state of Minnesota. Surrounding the shores of Lower and Upper Prior Lake, the city is south of the Minnesota River in an area k ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–3 , Gilbert Smith , Decision (majority) , RFA 20 , , 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, ; ; ; ; ) is a list of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the South Banat District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. It is located on the shores of rivers Timiș (ri ...

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

Krzysztof Jotko Krzysztof Jotko (born August 19, 1989) is a Polish mixed martial artist currently competing in the Light heavyweight (MMA), Light Heavyweight division. He has previously fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Professional Fighters Leagu ...

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

Katowice Katowice (, ) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Katowice urban area. As of 2021, Katowice has an official population of 286,960, and a resident population estimate of around 315,000. K ...

, Poland , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Tomáš Kužela , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Heroes Gate 9 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A ,

, Czech Republic , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 ,

Jiří Procházka Jiří Procházka (; ; born October 14, 1992) is a Czech professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion a ...

, TKO (punches) , Supreme FC 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

, Serbia , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–1 , Svetlozar Savov , Decision (split) , World Freefight Challenge 17 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...

, 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 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:39 ,

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

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

Subotica Subotica (, ; , , ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city in Central Europe and the administrative center of the North Bačka District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. Formerly the largest city of Vojvodina region, contemporary Sub ...

, Serbia , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Vladimir Jovanović , Submission (armbar) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:59 ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Veličković, Bojan 1988 births Living people Serbian male mixed martial artists Welterweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai Mixed martial artists utilizing judo Mixed martial artists utilizing sambo Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Serbian male judoka Serbian male Muay Thai practitioners Serbian sambo practitioners Serbian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Sportspeople from Novi Sad 21st-century Serbian sportsmen