Goran Reljić (born 20 March 1984) is a Croatian

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 bare knuckle boxer. A professional MMA competitor who began his career in 2004 and most recently competed in 2020, he has fought for the UFC, RIZIN, and KSW.

Mixed martial arts career

Reljić made his professional MMA debut on April 4, 2004 against Bojan Spalević. Reljić won the fight via submission (armbar) in the first round. His second fight was against Andrej Bregar in Trbovlje, Slovenia. Reljić won the fight via submission (arm-triangle choke).

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Reljić made his UFC debut at light heavyweight against Wilson Gouveia at '' UFC 84'', where he won in the second round by TKO. He then dropped down to middleweight. His next fight was slated to be at '' UFC 90'' against

Thales Leites Thales Leites Lourenço (; born 6 September 1981) is a retired Brazilian mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist best known for competing in the Middleweight (MMA), middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Mixed martial art ...

, but Reljić sustained a serious back injury and was replaced by

Drew McFedries Michael Andrew "Drewbie" McFedries (born July 27, 1978) is an American retired mixed martial artist. McFedries formerly competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC, Titan Fighting Championship, Titan FC and Shooto. Background McFedries ...

. He would not return to active competition for nearly two years. Reljić finally made his return and faced CB Dollaway on February 21, 2010 at UFC 110, where he would be making his middleweight debut. Reljić lost the fight via unanimous decision. Reljić faced Kendall Grove on July 3, 2010 at

UFC 116 ''UFC 116: Lesnar vs. Carwin'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on July 3, 2010, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show was voted as the Best Major Show in the 2010 List of Wrestling ...

and lost via split decision. One judge scored the fight 29–28 for Reljić, while the other two judges scored it 30–27 and 29–28 for Grove. Reljić returned to the light heavyweight division and faced Krzysztof Soszynski on November 13, 2010 at

UFC 122 ''UFC 122: Marquardt vs. Okami'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 13, 2010 at König Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen, Germany. This event aired on the same day, via tape delay, on Spike TV in ...

. After losing the fight via unanimous decision, Reljić was released from the promotion.

Post-UFC

In his first post UFC fight, Reljić faced Goran Šćepanović on October 7, 2011 at BEFN 6, where he won by TKO in the first round. Reljić then faced Rogent Lloret in a heavyweight bout on March 24, 2012 at Strength and Honor Championship in Geneve Switzerland. Reljić won the fight by TKO in the first round. Reljić fought Jan Błachowicz in a main fight on KSW 22 for light heavyweight world title. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Reljić then faced Nikolay Osokin at Draka 13 on August 30, 2013. Reljić won the fight via TKO (body kick) in the first round. Reljić returned to KSW on March 22, 2014 against Karol Celinski at KSW 26. Reljić won the fight via unanimous decision. In his debut for the

Rizin Fighting Federation Rizin Fighting Federation (stylised in all caps and also known as Rizin FF) is a Japanese mixed martial arts organization created in 2015 by the former Pride Fighting Championships and Dream Stage Entertainment president Nobuyuki Sakakibara. ...

, Reljić faced Vadim Nemkov on December 29, 2015. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round.

Absolute Championship Berkut

Reljić faced Nikola Dipchikov at ACA 109: Strus vs. Haratyk on . He lost the bout via first round TKO. Reljić faced Carlos Eduardo on April 23, 2021 at ACA 122. He won the bout via split decision. Reljić faced Davrbek Isakov at ACA 133 on December 4, 2021. He won the bout via TKO in second round. Reljić faced Vojtech Garba at RFA 3 on July 23, 2022. He lost the bout via unanimous decision. Reljić faced Stepan Gorshechnikov on April 8, 2023 at ACA 155, losing the bout via TKO stoppage in the first round. Reljić faced Alexey Efremov on November 24, 2023 at ACA 166, losing the bout after retiring from the bout after the first round.

Bare knuckle boxing career

He made his debut in a bare knuckle boxing becoming UBBADA world light heavyweight champion at BKB 7 event in

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

on September 9, 2017, defeating Ricky Nelder via unanimous decision. On next event he defended title against Jimmy McCrory on November 4, 2017. Fight was declared no contest because McCrory's jaw appears to be broken after a clash of heads.

Bare knuckle boxing record

Championships and accomplishments

Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (English: ''Martial Arts Confrontation''), better known by its initials KSW, is widely considered to be the premier mixed martial arts organization in Poland and one of the leading in Europe. Awards *Violent Money TV ** ...

** KSW Light Heavyweight World Championship (One time) **Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Jan Błachowicz *

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 ( ...

** Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Wilson Gouveia **UFC.com Awards ***2008: Ranked #9 Fight of the Year

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 21–12 , Alexey Efremov , TKO (retirement) , ACA 166: Magomedov vs. Dolgov , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 21–11 , Stepan Gorshechnikov , TKO (punches) , ACA 155: Karginov vs. Silva , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:56 ,

Minsk Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administra ...

, Belarus , , - , Loss , align=center, 21–10 , Vojtech Garba , Decision (unanimous) , RFA 3 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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 , , - , Win , align=center, 21–9 , Davrbek Isakov , TKO (punches) , ACA 133: Bimarzaev vs. Lima , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:25 ,

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 20–9 , Carlos Eduardo , Decision (split) , ACA 122: Johnson vs. Poberezhets , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Belarus , , - , Loss , align=center, 19–9 , Nikola Dipchikov , TKO (punches) , ACA 109: Strus vs. Haratyk , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:38 ,

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, Poland , , - , Win , align=center, 19–8 , Miro Jurković , Decision (split) , Serbian Battle Championship 28 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, Serbia , , - , Win , align=center, 18–8 , Pedro Brum , KO (punch) , Serbian Battle Championship 27 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:24 ,

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, , - , Win , align=center, 17–8 , Anđelko Kitić , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Trieste Fight Night 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:50 , Trieste, Italy , , - , - , Win , align=center, 16–8 , Daniel Dörrer , Submission (armbar) , Mannheimer Hafenkeilerei 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:50 ,

Mannheim, Germany Mannheim (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (), is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, second-largest city in Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, the States of Ger ...

, , - , Loss , align=center, 15–8 , Mattia Schiavolin , Decision (unanimous) , Superior FC 15 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 , Rüsselsheim,

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, , - , - , Loss , align=center, 15–7 , Kazbek Saidaliev , Decision (unanimous) , Akhmat Fight Show 23: Grand Prix Akhmat 2016 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Grozny, Russia , , - , - , Loss , align=center, 15–6 , Vadim Nemkov , TKO (punches) , Rizin WGP 2015: Part 1 - Saraba , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:58 ,

Saitama, Japan is the capital and largest city of Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Ōmiya, Yono and Iwatsuki. It is a city designated by government ordinance. , the city had an estimated population of 1,324,854 ...

, , - , Loss , align=center, 15–5 ,

Tomasz Narkun Tomasz "Giraffe" Narkun (born December 3, 1989) is a Polish mixed martial artist currently competing for KSW. A professional MMA competitor since 2009, he is the former KSW Light Heavyweight Champion and has also competed for M-1 Global, wher ...

, KO (punches) , KSW 32: Road to Wembley , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:55 ,

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, , - , Win , align=center, 15–4 , Attila Végh , Decision (split) , KSW 31: Materla vs. Drwal , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Gdańsk Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...

, Poland , , - , Win , align=center, 14–4 ,

, Decision (majority) , KSW 29: Reload , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, , - , Win , align=center, 13–4 , Karol Celinski , Decision (unanimous) , KSW 26: Materla vs. Silva 3 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

, , - , Win , align=center, 12–4 , Nikolay Osokin , TKO (body kick) , Draka 13 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:47 ,

Vladivostok Vladivostok ( ; , ) is the largest city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai and the capital of the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia. It is located around the Zolotoy Rog, Golden Horn Bay on the Sea of Japan, covering an area o ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

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, , - , Win , align=center, 11–3 , Gadji Magomedov , Decision (unanimous) , Draka 8 , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 3:00 , Nakhodka,

, , - , Win , align=center, 10–3 , Rogent Lloret , TKO (punches) , S&HC 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:02 ,

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, , - , Win , align=center, 9–3 , Goran Šćepanović , TKO (punches) , Bilic-Eric Security Fight Night 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:31 ,

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 Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

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, , - , Loss , align=center, 8–2 , Kendall Grove , Decision (split) ,

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Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, , - , Loss , align=center, 8–1 , C.B. Dollaway , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 110 , , 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 Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , Wilson Gouveia , TKO (punches) , UFC 84 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:15 ,

, , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Waldemar Golinski , Decision (unanimous) , BE 2 - Boxing Explosion 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Celje Celje (, , ) is the List of cities and towns in Slovenia, third-largest city in Slovenia. It is a regional center of the traditional Slovenian region of Styria (Slovenia), Styria and the administrative seat of the City Municipality of Celje. Th ...

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

, , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Tomek Smykowski , Submission (armbar) , CF - The Real Deal , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:51 ,

Maribor Maribor ( , , ; also known by other #Name, historical names) is the List of cities and towns in Slovenia, second-largest city in Slovenia and the largest city of the traditional region of Styria (Slovenia), Lower Styria. It is the seat of the ...

, , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Petr Kelner , Submission (armbar) , Ultimate Fight - Challenge 1 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:47 ,

Samobor Samobor () is a town in Zagreb County, Croatia. It is part of the Zagreb metropolitan area. Administratively it is a part of Zagreb County. Geography Samobor is located west of Zagreb, between the eastern slopes of the Samobor hills (), the eas ...

, , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Bojan Mihajlović , Submission (kimura) , NS 3 - Noc Skorpiona 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:51 ,

Šibenik Šibenik (), historically known as Sebenico (), is a historic town in Croatia, located in central Dalmatia, where the river Krka (Croatia), Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea. Šibenik is one of the oldest Croatia, Croatian self-governing cities ...

, , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Nenad Đurić , TKO (punches) , NS 1 - Noc Skorpiona 1 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:54 ,

Zadar Zadar ( , ), historically known as Zara (from Venetian and Italian, ; see also other names), is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Croatia. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea, at the northwestern part of Ravni Kotari region. Zadar ...

, , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Andrej Bregar , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Trboulje 1 - Croatia vs. Slovenia , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:52 ,

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, , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Bojan Spalević , Submission (armbar) , UFD - Ultimate Fight Dubravc , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:20 ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Reljic, Goran Croatian male mixed martial artists Middleweight mixed martial artists Light heavyweight mixed martial artists Heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Sportspeople from Zadar Bare-knuckle boxers Croatian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Living people 1984 births Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters 21st-century Croatian sportsmen