Uros Medic and Matthew Semelsberger went punch-for-punch and kick-for-kick for two-and-a-half rounds until a spinning back elbow made the ultimate difference.
In a welterweight bout on the UFC 291 preliminary card Saturday at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Medic (9-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) finished Semelsberger (11-6 MMA, 5-4 UFC) with strikes at 2:36 of Round 3, much to the delight of the thousands in attendance.
Prior to Medic’s finishing sequence, each man stunned the other. In Round 2, Medic was dropped with a violent combination, then hurt Semelsberger with an upkick. The momentum shifts were plentiful, but Medic landed the final blows halfway through Round 3. A punching combination sent Semelsberger backward before he was dropped by a Medic spinning back elbow.
Medic pounced and rained down ground-and-pound until the referee stepped in. Semelsberger pleaded his case, as he thought the stoppage was premature.
Uros Medic with the spinning back ELBOW 🤯 #UFC291 pic.twitter.com/UzY9AQADt2
— UFC (@ufc) July 30, 2023
Medic, 30, is successful in his first appearance since October. The bout was his first at welterweight in the UFC and he took it on short notice in place of Yohan Lainesse. With the victory, Medic is now on a two-fight winning streak. Semelsberger, 30, falls into a two-fight skid.
The up-to-the-minute UFC 291 results include:
- Uros Medic def. Matthew Semelsberger via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 2:39
- Miranda Maverick def. Priscila Cachoeira via submission (armbar) – Round 3, 2:11
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 291.
