Thanks to Radivoje “Hot Rod” Kalajdzic‘s thundering punches, Dana White seems to have regained his edge after last week’s Zuffa Boxing debut under the Paramount deal left him out of rhythm. White was all smiles – he and scores of spectators and viewers were left stunned as Kalajdzic’s power shots flattened the heavy favorite, former cruiserweight champion, and London Olympics bronze medalist Oleksandr Gvozdyk at Zuffa Boxing 02.

Highlights of the fight, especially the clip showing Radivoje Kalajdzic throwing a straight right and flooring Gvozdyk with just 3 seconds left in the seventh round, are making waves online. And as the man behind the scenes, Dana White could hardly ignore the impact of the final fight of the main card segment.

Dana White left speechless as Radivoje Kalajdzic pulls off a shocking upset

In an interview with Nina Marie Daniele, aka Nina Drama, Dana White was visibly stunned by Kalajdzic’s stunning victory. Fighting ahead of the co-main event between Serhii Bohachuk and Radzhab Butaev, the Belgrade, Serbia-born fighter entered the fight as a +300 underdog.

Defying expectations, delivering the performance of his life, Kalajdzic turned the tables on a formidable opponent like Gvozdyk. Earlier, the Ukrainian had dropped him in the opening round and again in the second. His resounding victory was reflected in Dana White’s reaction when he said, “I literally did not see that coming. Guy was dominating that fight. And the punches were so f**king loud.”

Kalajdzic’s win appears even more significant, considering he came off a loss to David Morrell nearly eighteen months ago. It was his second attempt at a world title that faltered after the formidable Artur Beterbiev stopped his title bid back in 2019.

At age 34, with chances of another world title – WBO, WBA, WBC, IBF – now appearing slim, Kalajdzic found an opportunity in Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing, and the cruiserweight’s risk seems to have paid off.

Kalajdzic, like White, was himself in disbelief, which he described in an interview with Max Kellerman.

Kalajdzic’s teamwork pays off, shines a spotlight on Zuffa

When asked, “How did you pull that out?” he said, “Well, man, there were 18 months that I had off. I didn’t think it was going to be a ring rust, but for the first five or six rounds, it was like I just started boxing; that’s how it felt. But thanks to my coach and my teammates, they told me to trust myself, believe in myself, be patient, and work behind the jab, and then after I came, they told me, ‘If you land that right correctly and throw it correctly, you’re going to hurt him,’ and that’s what happened.”

While Kalajdzic celebrated, Gvozdyk’s next move remains uncertain. At age 38, he was comparatively active, coming off a knockout win over Anthony Holloway last April. Before that fight, he went the full distance with David Benavidez, though he lost on the judges’ scorecards. So, entering the Zuffa ranks, he stepped in as the clear favorite on the back of strong credentials.

But in the end, Kalajdzic’s hunger proved too much.

Beyond the personal triumph, his victory also benefits the promoter. After the first show at the APEX, White and his team came under scrutiny after a listless event where only headliner Callum Walsh was a recognizable name, and all but two fights went the distance.

By contrast, three of the 8 fights at Zuffa 02 ended via knockouts, with Kalajdzic’s upset win potentially giving the promotion a blueprint to showcase the type of fights it plans to feature.