Noah Gugnon needed only 81 seconds to turn Milos Janicic’s UFC Belgrade debut into a first-round submission loss.
The lightweight bout opened the UFC Belgrade main card on Saturday, August 1, 2026, at Belgrade Arena in Belgrade, Serbia, with the event streaming on Paramount+. Gugnon entered as a French UFC newcomer against Janicic, a 19-3 regional veteran fighting much closer to home, then finished him by rear-naked choke at 1:21 of Round 1.
Watch the highlights below.
Kicking off the main card
Milos Janicic vs Noah Gugnon
[ #UFCBelgrade | LIVE NOW on @ParamountPlus ]
— UFC (@ufc) August 1, 2026
STRAIGHT SILENCE AFTER THAT SUBMISSION
Noah Gugnon delivers a massive win in his UFC debut!
[ #UFCBelgrade | LIVE on @ParamountPlus ]
— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) August 1, 2026
Exactly how he drew it up
Noah Gugnon gets the RD1 finish in his UFC debut!
[ #UFCBelgrade | LIVE NOW on @ParamountPlus ]
— UFC (@ufc) August 1, 2026
In enemy territory
Noah Gugnon locks in the submission for the victory at #UFCBelgrade!
[ LIVE NOW on @ParamountPlus ]
— UFC (@ufc) August 1, 2026
Noah Gugnon Turns Leg Kicks Into A Quick Choke At UFC Belgrade
Gugnon set the finish up with calf kicks. Janicic reacted badly to the early damage, dropped to the mat, and Gugnon followed instead of letting him reset. He climbed to the back, secured his position, and squeezed for the tap before the main-card opener could settle.
The official result moved Gugnon to 10-2 and dropped Janicic to 19-4. It also denied the local side an early main-card lift on a night built around UFC’s first event in Serbia.
UFC Belgrade had already produced fast swings elsewhere on the card, including Nina Milosevic’s body-shot TKO and Borislav Nikolic’s decision win. Gugnon’s finish added another quick result to a card headlined by Uros Medic vs. Daniel Rodriguez.
Gugnon had Bellator and ARES FC experience before his UFC call, but this was his first UFC walk and his first chance to make a main-card impression. The 28-year-old now has a UFC debut win, a first-round submission, and a clean reason to ask for another booking while the lightweight division keeps moving, especially with UFC Paris still sitting on the September calendar.
