Todorović’s Pressure Ended a Losing Run With a First-Round
Duško Todorović submitted José Daniel Medina on September 13, 2025, at Noche UFC in San Antonio. The middleweight contest ended with a rear-naked choke at 4:21 of the first round, giving Todorović his first UFC victory in nearly three years.
A pressing attack prevented Medina from settling
Todorović advanced behind punches and landed quickly enough to interrupt Medina’s heavier replies. An early cut near Medina’s eye added another difficulty as he tried to establish his own offense.
The Serbian remained patient within that pressure. Rather than abandoning his structure during the exchanges, he continued finding counters and closing the distance toward the fence.
The takedown connected directly to the back
Todorović brought Medina to the canvas and moved behind him. The positional advance created the opening for the rear-naked choke before the contest reached a second round.
Medina could not escape the finishing hold and tapped. The submission completed a sequence in which striking pressure created the opportunity to wrestle, and the takedown immediately supported a decisive grappling attack.
The victory broke a difficult sequence of defeats
Todorović entered after losses to Christian Leroy Duncan, Mansur Abdul-Malik and Zachary Reese. Ending that run made the San Antonio result significant beyond the method of victory.
Medina was still searching for his first UFC win and instead suffered another setback. For Todorović, the performance supplied a clear rebound: a controlled first-round attack, an effective transition to the back and a submission that ended the contest before further recovery was possible.
Sources
- Cageside Press: pressure, cut and preceding losses
- Sherdog: first UFC win in nearly three years and finishing sequence
- UFC: official rear-naked-choke time
