Bojan Veličković
Bojan Veličković (Serbian: Бојан Величковић; born December 18, 1988) is a Serbian mixed martial artist and sambist currently competing in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2010, he has competed for the UFC, Professional Fighters League, and RFA, where he was the Welterweight Champion. Currently, He competes in Oktagon MMA, where he won the 16-men Oktagon MMA Welterweight Tournament.
| Bojan Veličković | |
|---|---|
| Born | Bojan Veličković December 18, 1988 Novi Sad, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia |
| Native name | Бојан Величковић |
| Other names | Serbian Steel |
| Nationality | Serbian [1] |
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[1] |
| Weight | 77 kg (170 lb; 12 st 2 lb) |
| Division | Middleweight Welterweight |
| Reach | 192 cm (76 in) |
| Stance | Southpaw |
| Fighting out of | Denver, Colorado, United States |
| Team | American Top Team (2011–2014)[2] Elevation Fight Team (2014–present)[3][2] |
| Rank | Black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu[2] |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 39 |
| Wins | 25 |
| By knockout | 8 |
| By submission | 11 |
| By decision | 6 |
| Losses | 12 |
| By knockout | 2 |
| By decision | 10 |
| Draws | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Background edit
Born and raised in Novi Sad, Serbia, Veličković began training in judo at the age of ten, before transitioning to Muay Thai at 14. Then at the age of 22, he began training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and mixed martial arts. In Muay Thai, Veličković holds a record of 14–2.[4]
Mixed martial arts career edit
Early career edit
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. Veličković won all four fights and the show. He then began competing for the Tesla Fighting Championship in his native Serbia, where he was also Welterweight champion.
Resurrection Fighting Alliance edit
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 edit
Veličković signed with the UFC after compiling a record of 13–3 first and relocating to Colorado.[5]
Veličković made his promotional debut against Alessio Di Chirico on April 10, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 86.[6] He won the fight via unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, and 30–27).[7]
Veličković next faced Michael Graves on July 30, 2016, at UFC 201.[8] The bout was declared a majority draw.[9]
Veličković faced Sultan Aliev on December 17, 2016, at UFC on Fox 22.[10] He lost the fight via split decision.[11]
Veličković faced Nico Musoke on May 28, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 109.[12] He won the fight by knockout in the third round.[13] This win also earned Veličković his first Performance of the Night bonus award.[14]
Veličković fought Darren Till on September 2, 2017, at UFC Fight Night: Struve vs. Volkov, losing the bout in a unanimous decision.[15]
Veličković faced Jake Matthews on November 19, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 121.[16] He lost the fight via split decision, and was subsequently released from the promotion.[17]
PFL edit
After the release from the UFC, Veličković signed with Professional Fighters League, participating the inaugural season's welterweight bracket.[18] 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. 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.[19]
Post-PFL career edit
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.[20]
Veličković then challenged Vladislav Kanchev for the SBC Welterweight Championship at Serbian Battle Championship 29 on November 7, 2020.[21] He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Oktagon MMA edit
As the first bout of his three-fight contract with Oktagon MMA, Veličković faced Emmanuel Dawa at Oktagon 25 on June 19, 2021.[2] He won the fight via technical knockout after the first round.[22]
In his sophomore appearance he faced Carlo Prater at Oktagon 27 on September 11, 2021. He won the fight via first-round technical knockout.[23]
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.[24][25]
Veličković faced Máté Kertész on March 26, 2022, at Oktagon Prime 5. He won the bout via unanimous decision.[26]
Veličković faced Leandro Silva on October 15, 2022, at Oktagon 36.[27] He lost the bout via split decision.[28]
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.[29]
In the Quarterfinals, Veličković faced Christian Jungwirth on June 17, 2023, at Oktagon 44, winning the bout and advancing via unanimous decision.[30]
The semi-finals saw Veličković face David Kozma on September 16, 2023, at Oktagon 46, knocking him out in the first round.[31]
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.[32]
Championships and accomplishments edit
- Oktagon MMA
- 2023 Oktagon Welterweight Tournament
- Resurrection Fighting Alliance
- Welterweight Champion
- Tesla Fighting Championship
- Middleweight Champion
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Performance of the Night (One time) vs. Nico Musoke[33]
- Serbian Battle Championship
- SBC Welterweight Championship (one time; current)
Mixed martial arts record edit
| 39 matches | 25 wins | 12 losses |
| By knockout | 8 | 2 |
| By submission | 11 | 0 |
| By decision | 6 | 10 |
| Draws | 2 | |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 25–12–2 | Andreas Michailidis | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Oktagon 51: Tipsport Gamechanger Final | December 29, 2023 | 3 | 3:21 | Prague, Czech Republic | Won the Oktagon Welterweight Tournament. |
| Win | 24–12–2 | David Kozma | KO (punches) | Oktagon 46 | September 16, 2023 | 1 | 3:45 | Frankfurt, Germany | Oktagon Welterweight Tournament Semifinal. |
| Win | 23–12–2 | Christian Jungwirth | Decision (unanimous) | Oktagon 44 | June 17, 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | Oberhausen, Germany | Oktagon Welterweight Tournament Quarterfinal. |
| Win | 22–12–2 | Ion Surdu | Submission (anaconda choke) | Oktagon 40 | March 4, 2023 | 1 | 2:55 | Ostrava, Czech Republic | Oktagon Welterweight Tournament Round of 16. |
| Loss | 21–12–2 | Leandro Silva | Decision (split) | Oktagon 36 | October 15, 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | Frankfurt, Germany | |
| Win | 21–11–2 | Máté Kertész | Decision (unanimous) | Oktaon Prime 5 | March 26, 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | Samorin, Slovakia | |
| Loss | 20–11–2 | David Kozma | TKO (punches) | Oktagon 29 | December 4, 2021 | 4 | 3:16 | Ostrava, Czech Republic | For Oktagon MMA Welterweight Championship. |
| Win | 20–10–2 | Carlo Prater | TKO (punches) | Oktagon 27 | September 11, 2021 | 1 | 2:44 | Bratislava, Slovakia | |
| Win | 19–10–2 | Emmanuel Dawa | TKO (doctor stoppage) | Oktagon 25 | June 19, 2021 | 1 | 5:00 | Brno, Czech Republic | |
| Win | 18–10–2 | Vladislav Kanchev | Decision (unanimous) | Serbian Battle Championship 29 | October 7, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Novi Sad, Serbia | Won the SBC Welterweight Championship. |
| Win | 17–10–2 | Danillo Santos | Submission (guillotine choke) | Serbian Battle Championship 27 | March 14, 2020 | 2 | 0:59 | Vrbas, Serbia | |
| Loss | 16–10–2 | João Zeferino | Decision (unanimous) | PFL 4 | July 11, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Loss | 16–9–2 | Handesson Ferreira | Decision (unanimous) | PFL 1 | May 9, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Uniondale, New York, United States | |
| Loss | 16–8–2 | Magomed Magomedkerimov | TKO (punches) | PFL 10 | October 20, 2018 | 2 | 3:13 | Washington, D.C., United States | 2018 PFL Welterweight Semifinal bout. |
| Draw | 16–7–2 | Abubakar Nurmagomedov | Draw (unanimous) | 2 | 5:00 | 2018 PFL Welterweight Quarterfinal bout. Eliminated via first round tiebreaker. Later advanced due to Nurmagomedov injury. | |||
| Loss | 16–7–1 | Magomed Magomedkerimov | Decision (unanimous) | PFL 6 | August 16, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 16–6–1 | Jonatan Westin | TKO (punches) | PFL 3 | July 5, 2018 | 2 | 2:50 | Washington, D.C., United States | |
| Loss | 15–6–1 | Jake Matthews | Decision (split) | UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Tybura | November 19, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Sydney, Australia | |
| Loss | 15–5–1 | Darren Till | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Struve | September 2, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | |
| Win | 15–4–1 | Nico Musoke | KO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Gustafsson vs. Teixeira | May 28, 2017 | 3 | 4:37 | Stockholm, Sweden | Performance of the Night. |
| Loss | 14–4–1 | Sultan Aliev | Decision (split) | UFC on Fox: VanZant vs. Waterson | December 17, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Sacramento, California, United States | |
| Draw | 14–3–1 | Michael Graves | Draw (majority) | UFC 201 | July 30, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Atlanta, Georgia, United States | |
| Win | 14–3 | Alessio Di Chirico | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Rothwell vs. dos Santos | April 10, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Zagreb, Croatia | Middleweight bout. |
| Win | 13–3 | Benjamin Smith | Submission (guillotine choke) | RFA 34: Veličković vs. Smith | January 15, 2016 | 3 | 1:51 | Broomfield, Colorado, United States | Won the vacant RFA Welterweight Championship. |
| Win | 12–3 | Vardan Sholinian | Decision (unanimous) | RFA 31: Smith vs. Marunde | October 9, 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Catchweight (175 lbs) bout. |
| Win | 11–3 | Charles Byrd | Decision (unanimous) | AXS TV Fights: RFA vs. Legacy Superfight | May 8, 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Robinsonville, Mississippi, United States | |
| Win | 10–3 | Chris Hugh | TKO (punches) | RFA 24: Smith vs. Romero | March 6, 2015 | 1 | 4:40 | Prior Lake, Minnesota, United States | |
| Loss | 9–3 | Gilbert Smith | Decision (majority) | RFA 20: Sanders vs. Mercado | November 7, 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Broomfield, Colorado, United States | Welterweight debut. |
| Win | 9–2 | Nikolay Aleksakhin | Submission (guillotine choke) | Tesla FC 4 | June 14, 2014 | 2 | 2:35 | Pančevo, Serbia | Won the TFC Middleweight Championship. |
| Loss | 8–2 | Krzysztof Jotko | Decision (majority) | MMA Attack 3 | April 27, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Katowice, Poland | |
| Win | 8–1 | Tomáš Kužela | Submission (rear-naked choke) | MMA Attack 3 | December 28, 2012 | 2 | N/A | Prague, Czech Republic | |
| Win | 7–1 | Jiří Procházka | TKO (punches) | Supreme FC 1: Balkan Fighter Night | December 9, 2012 | 1 | N/A | Belgrade, Serbia | |
| Loss | 6–1 | Svetlozar Savov | Decision (split) | WFC 17 - Olimp: Live & Fight | October 21, 2012 | 3 | N/A | Ljubljana, Slovenia | For the WFC Middleweight Championship. |
| Win | 6–0 | Marko Lukačić | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Tesla FC 2 | December 24, 2011 | 1 | N/A | Belgrade, Serbia | |
| Win | 5–0 | Jason Lee | KO (punches) | Ring of Fire 41: Bragging Rights | August 20, 2011 | 1 | 1:39 | Broomfield, Colorado, United States | |
| Win | 4–0 | Nemanja Uverić | Submission (guillotine choke) | Tesla FC 1 | June 19, 2011 | 2 | N/A | Belgrade, Serbia | |
| Win | 3–0 | Svetislav Nikolajev | Submission (armbar) | Tesla FC 1 | June 19, 2011 | 2 | N/A | Belgrade, Serbia | |
| Win | 2–0 | Marko Ignjatović | Submission (heel hook) | Ring of Fire Europe 2/3 | August 28, 2010 | 1 | 2:57 | Subotica, Serbia | |
| Win | 1–0 | Vladimir Jovanović | Submission (armbar) | Ring of Fire Europe 2/3 | August 28, 2010 | 1 | 3:59 | Subotica, Serbia |
References edit
- ^ a b "Bojan Veličković". sherdog.com.
- ^ a b c d Bryan Lacey (June 10, 2021). LIVE TALK Bryan w/ Bojan Veličković – via YouTube.
- ^ Chris Huntemann (April 25, 2017). "UFC Fight Night 109's Bojan Veličković: 'I Do Better Under Pressure'". combatpress.com.
- ^ "Bojan Velickovic | UFC".
- ^ Zane Simon (2016-02-04). "Welcome to the UFC Bojan Velickovic". bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved 2016-02-04.
- ^ Staff (2016-02-02). "Bojan Velickovic vs. Alessio Di Chirico slated for UFC Fight Night 86". themmareport.com. Retrieved 2016-02-02.
- ^ Steven Marrocco (2016-04-10). "UFC Fight Night 86 results: Crowd unsure, but Bojan Velickovic tops Alessio Di Chirico". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-04-10.
- ^ Tristen Critchfield (2016-05-24). "UFC 201 Update: Michael Graves to face Bojan Velickovic in Atlanta on July 30". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2016-05-24.
- ^ Brent Brookhouse (2016-07-30). "UFC 201 results: Michael Graves and Bojan Velickovic grapple to majority draw". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-07-30.
- ^ Staff (2016-10-18). "Two fights added to UFC on FOX 22". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-10-18.
- ^ Brent Brookhouse (2016-12-17). "UFC on FOX 22 results: Sultan Aliev's top game leads to split decision over Bojan Velickovic". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-12-17.
- ^ Marcel Dorff (2017-03-31). "Nico Musoke returns after long layoff against Bojan Velickovic in Stockholm" (in Dutch). mmadna.nl. Retrieved 2017-03-31.
- ^ Ben Fowlkes (2017-05-28). "UFC Fight Night 109 results: Bojan Velickovic TKOs Nico Musoke in final minute of close fight". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2017-05-28.
- ^ Staff (2017-05-28). "UFC Fight Night 109 bonuses: Main event nabs 'Fight of the Night' honors". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2017-05-28.
- ^ "UFC-Rotterdam results: Darren Till strikes, showboats his way past Bojan Velickovic in crowd pleaser". MMAjunkie. 2017-09-02. Retrieved 2017-09-03.
- ^ Alex Oates (2017-10-12). "UFC Sydney: Jake Matthews announces move to welterweight, locks in fight with unheralded Serb". couriermail.com.au. Retrieved 2017-10-12.
- ^ "UFC Fight Night 121 results: Jake Matthews takes split from Bojan Velickovic in return to 170". MMAjunkie. 2017-11-19. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
- ^ Marko Petrak (April 17, 2018). "Ekskluzivno – "Srpski čelik" potvrdio: Više nisam dio UFC-a, i mene je otkaz iznenadio!". fightsite.hr (in Croatian).
- ^ Jay Anderson (July 11, 2019). "PFL 4 2019 Results: Joao Zeferino Gets Past Bojan Velickovic via Unanimous Decision". cagesidepress.com.
- ^ "MMA: Velickovic, Jankovic and Uveric sparkle in Vrbas!". engnews24h.com. March 15, 2020.
- ^ Bryan Henderson (November 4, 2020). "Out of Obscurity: Brave CF 44, SBC 29 and Parus FC". combatpress.com.
- ^ Rob Tatum (June 19, 2021). "Oktagon 25 Results: Buday Pounds Out Minda, Velickovic Scores Stoppage". combatpress.com.
- ^ Rob Tatum (September 11, 2021). "Oktagon 27 Results: Buchinger Captures Second Belt". combatpress.com.
- ^ "Kozma po pekelné bitvě: Jsem králem Oktagonu. Kníže? Už je to starší pán". iSport.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 2021-12-08.
- ^ "Šampionem v Oktagonu zůstává Kozma! Veličkoviče utrápil ve 4. kole". iSport.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 2021-12-08.
- ^ "Oktagon: Aj sám víťaz bol prekvapený. Kertész prehral po verdikte rozhodcov". sportnet.sme.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 2022-04-13.
- ^ "Oktagon 36 features five former UFC fighters, including return of John Hathaway". MMA Junkie. 2022-10-09. Retrieved 2022-10-18.
- ^ FightBookMMA (2022-10-17). "OKTAGON 36 Results: Eckerlin defeats de Oliveira, Hathaway dominates in comeback". FightBook MMA. Retrieved 2022-10-18.
- ^ "Fight Site - Nakon rijetko viđenog dvostrukog nokdauna Bojan Veličković ugušio protivnika!". fightsite.hr (in Croatian). 4 March 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
- ^ FightBookMMA (2023-06-20). "OKTAGON 44 Results: Pavol Langer completes his underdog story to win interim belt". FightBook MMA. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
- ^ Staff (2023-09-16). "Oktagon 46: Dalisda vs. Austin Full Results". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
- ^ Hiergesell, Dan (2023-12-29). "Video! UFC Alum Scores $1 Million Submission To Close Out 2023". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
- ^ Staff (2017-05-28). "UFC Fight Night 109 bonuses: Main event nabs 'Fight of the Night' honors". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2017-05-28.