Bojan Veličković


Bojan Veličković 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.

Background

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.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

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

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 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

Veličković signed with the UFC after compiling a record of 13 - 3 first and relocating to Colorado.
Veličković made his promotional debut against Alessio Di Chirico on April 10, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 86. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Veličković next faced Michael Graves on July 30, 2016 at UFC 201. The bout was declared a majority draw.
Veličković faced Sultan Aliev on December 17, 2016 at UFC on Fox 22. He lost the fight via split decision.
Veličković faced Nico Musoke on May 28, 2017 at UFC Fight Night 109. He won the fight by knockout in the third round. This win also earned Veličković his first Performance of the Night bonus award.
Veličković fought Darren Till on September 2, 2017 at, losing the bout in a unanimous decision.
Veličković faced Jake Matthews on November 19, 2017 at UFC Fight Night 121. He lost the fight via split decision, and was subsequently released from the promotion.

PFL

After the release from the UFC, Veličković signed with Professional Fighters League, participating the inaugural season's welterweight bracket. 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.

Post-PFL career

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.

Championships and accomplishments