Noah Gugnon opened the UFC Belgrade main card with a first-round submission of Miloš Janičić in under 90 seconds. However, the French fighter’s win was overshadowed by a freak injury suffered by his opponent during the bout, turning what could have been a competitive contest into a relatively easy finish.

From the opening bell, Gugnon attacked Janičić with well-timed leg kicks that quickly began taking their toll. In response, the Montenegrin fired back with a hard body kick. However, unfortunately for Janičić, the kick landed on Gugnon’s elbow. The pain was immediately visible on Janičić’s face, suggesting that Gugnon’s block had left him compromised and that he had likely suffered an injury. Sensing the opportunity, the French lightweight locked in a rear-naked choke, forcing the submission and securing the victory.

Although Gugnon executed a smart game plan, looked sharper than his opponent, and ultimately earned the finish, Janičić’s injury quickly overshadowed the result. Much of the discussion after the fight centered on the Montenegrin fighter’s apparent injury rather than Gugnon’s win. 

As of now, neither Janičić nor his team has disclosed any details about the true extent of his injury. However, it appears his foot may have suffered significant damage. Still, this would not be the first time the Montenegrin has dealt with a serious injury. Last year, the 29-year-old revealed alarming details about a knee injury he sustained ahead of his fight against Marko Bojković at FNC 23.  

In an interview with Sportissimo, Janičić revealed that he injured his knee while training in Thailand, recalling that he heard a click after absorbing a side kick. The injury gradually worsened as he continued training and fighting. As a result, Janičić underwent surgery, during which doctors used ligaments from his leg to reconstruct and stabilize his knee.

Following the latest mishap at UFC Belgrade, some fans even compared Janičić’s injury concerns to Conor McGregor’s ill-timed injury during his UFC 329 bout against Max Holloway on July 11, which also occurred in the opening round.  

Fans react to UFC Belgrade fighter’s injury  

One fan wrote, “This looks like the Conor McGregor fight all over again. #Janicic leg is gone.” Another fan feared the worst for the Montenegrin fighter, writing, “That’s awful. Worst case scenario for everyone. Milos Janicic’s leg was done after one kick. Noah Gugnon gets the first-round submission. Magic was dead on for that one.”

Although fans drew comparisons between Conor McGregor and Miloš Janičić’s injuries, there is a key distinction. The Irishman injured his knee without landing a significant strike. On the other hand, the 29-year-old had already landed six significant strikes on his opponent, including the body kick that crashed directly into Gugnon’s elbow. Yet, both ultimately suffered similar fates in the opening round of their respective contests. 

Following this, another fan shared an empathetic reaction toward Janičić, saying he unfortunately ended up on the wrong end of a devastating injury while also taking a dig at his opponent for calling out the Serbian crowd.

The fan wrote, “Janicic broke something when he threw that kick to Gugnon’s elbow. S—t happens. What I don’t understand is why Gugnon is celebrating like he did something extraordinary. Taunting the crowd in the process…” 

During the clash, the Belgrade audience booed Noah Gugnon relentlessly. In response, the French fighter called out the crowd during his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping, asserting that he had “shocked” them all by defeating the Montenegrin fighter, who was clearly the crowd’s favorite. Well, the fan was clearly unimpressed with Gugnon’s animated celebration, believing his victory was far from convincing enough.  

While Noah Gugnon faced some criticism for his celebration at UFC Belgrade, he also impressed several fans with his performance. One fan praised his outing and highlighted his success on the regional circuit. 

The fan wrote, “Crafty Noah Gugnon win over Janicic, spoiling the hyped up UFC debut from the Serb #UFCBelgrade. Noah has an underrated regional career, immediately beat up the legs of Janicic. Janicic’s stance was all over himself, no support on his rear leg, too much weight shifted, injury.” 

That’s definitely a keen observation. ‘Guns’ competed in Ares FC before joining the UFC, and that experience appeared to pay dividends as he checked Janičić’s powerful body kick with his elbow, ultimately causing the fight-altering injury. 

Lastly, another fan made yet another Conor McGregor reference, writing, “HOW’S NOAH? Pretty good actually 😎.” ‘The Notorious’ famously confronted Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, during the infamous UFC 229 pre-fight press conference. 

That said, the UFC Belgrade fighter may understandably be disappointed after his injury compromised the fight, but he is expected to recover and make a strong comeback.