Bogdan Grad defeated Albanian Dennis Buzukja at the UFC event held today in Belgrade, after a dominant performance, but the end of the fight has caused controversy.
The Austrian-born Grad dominated most of the fight thanks to his strong ground game and control of his opponent. In the second round, he neutralized Buzukja with a choke hold, forcing referee Jason Herzog to stop the fight at 4:43.
Immediately after the interruption, Buzukja, who lives in the US, stood up and protested, claiming that he had not 'tapped out', meaning he had not surrendered.
However, as "Mmajunkie" writes, replays showed that the Albanian had made the submission move, confirming the judge's decision and Grad's victory.
The hall where the event is being held in the Serbian capital erupted in celebration after Grad's victory, after the day before, Buzukja During official measurements, he made the eagle double-headed.
VIDEO:
The controversial submission ending as Bogdan Grad tries to finish the arm triangle!
Dennis Buzukja protests right away and he may have a case.#UFCBelgrade
pic.twitter.com/h6MLo7M9Ru— Consensus Score (@ConsensusScore) August 1, 2026
After the fight, Grad commented on the controversy, saying that the opponent has the right to file an official complaint if he feels the decision was wrong.
"I think he can make an official complaint, there is a procedure for that. I didn't feel the surrender, but the judge was there. The judges and all the officials here are professionals, so I trust their decisions," Grad declared in the interview after the fight.
VIDEO:
Dennis Buzukja TAPPED... then instantly started arguing after the ref stopped the fight. 😳👀
(via @ufc)#UFCBelgrade pic.twitter.com/GTcCC6MPc6— Mma Takes (@mmatakesclips) August 1, 2026
With this victory, Bogdan Grad recorded his second triumph in four appearances in the UFC, while Dennis Buzukja suffered his fifth loss in six appearances in the main Mixed Martial Arts series.
Meanwhile, in MMA, Gradi has a record of 16 wins and four losses, while Buzukja has 12 wins and seven losses.
Buzukja says she didn't give up the fight
Albanian fighter, Dennis Buzukja, disagrees with the judge's decision to stop the fight against Bogdan Grad, the Romanian representing Austria.
Buzukja lost the fight to Grad at the UFC event held in Belgrade, Serbia.
Buzukja was born in the USA and represents the USA. But he is Albanian.
In the second round, Grad neutralized Buzukja with a choke hold, forcing referee Jason Herzog to stop the fight at 4:43.
But Buzukja insists that he had not given up the fight.
"I don't know what to say. It was a real fight and I entered the ring to win or die. I don't understand how it was interrupted and the victory was taken away from me like that, without giving any sign of surrender. But, whatever it is, everything is God's will. Respect for my opponent, Bogdan. I don't understand how the referee stopped the fight or why he thought I surrendered, when the hold wasn't strong and there were 10 seconds left. I don't know what to do or what direction to take now, but I just want to thank everyone. I'm very disappointed and I think it would have been a fantastic third round, but that's life," Buzukja wrote on social media after the fight with Grad in Belgrade.