For years, UFC events have produced countless highlights of fighters engaging in brutal clashes inside the Octagon. But seldom does the sport shed its tough exterior and deliver heartfelt moments that remain etched in fans’ memories. At UFC’s first-ever event in Serbia tonight, fans witnessed one of those moments.
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Switzerland’s Robert Valentin faced Serbia’s own Duško Todorović at UFC Belgrade in a high-stakes middleweight clash. For Valentin, the fight turned out to be a quick affair as he dominated Todorović before securing a first-round guillotine choke submission at 4 minutes 14 seconds of round 1. However, immediately after the fight, the Belgrade crowd witnessed a touching moment as Valentin asked Todorović to translate his post-fight speech for him. Without a moment’s hesitation, his opponent Duško Todorović stepped up and relayed the message for the crowd present at the Belgrade Arena.
“Look at this guy next to me,” Valentin said in English, with Todorović translating into Serbian. “We are basically the same guy. We would be brothers, but today, unfortunately, we both had to fight. That’s how we make our living. That’s the job we chose. And I want to say, Serbia, you guys f—ing rock. You’re a f—ing warrior country. I’m honored to fight here, and I’m honored to fight a guy like Duško Todorović.”
With that, both middleweight fighters set an exceptional example of sportsmanship at UFC Belgrade. However, Robert Valentin’s admiration for the Serbian people is nothing new. The Switzerland-based fighter had previously spoken about winning over new Serbian fans with his performance.
“For me, it’s kind of a mission because I’m coming here as the guy people might boo at the beginning,” Valentin had said at UFC Belgrade Media Day. “But I want to leave the arena with new fans. I want to entertain the people, and I want to make sure they remember me in a good way. So next time I’m coming to Serbia, I have a couple of friends here, you know.”
Now, when it comes to fighters stepping in as translators for their teammates or fellow competitors, it is nothing out of the ordinary. Recently, the former middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev assisted his teammate Abubakar Vagaev by translating his post-fight interview following his successful debut at UFC Abu Dhabi. Plus, Renato Moicano was seen serving as a translator during Jon Jones’ appearance at Dirty Boxing.
Still, a defeated fighter voluntarily translating the winner’s post-fight interview is an exceptionally rare display of sportsmanship and mutual respect, making the moment all the more remarkable.
Even though Robert Valentin and Duško Todorović won hearts with their remarkable display of respect, it is also true that the Swiss fighter arguably delivered the most impressive victory of his career. Following the fight, the 31-year-old finally revealed how he pulled it off.
UFC Belgrade winner explains how he locked up stunning submission finish
Securing a guillotine finish can be a daunting task for many fighters. Without the proper strength and technique, putting an opponent to sleep is far from easy. Just ask Dustin Poirier, whose repeated attempts to submit Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 299 with the guillotine ultimately didn’t work. However, UFC Belgrade winner Robert Valentin revealed that he found the submission opportunity several times during the fight but chose to lock it in only when he was certain it would succeed.
“I had the same submission earlier in the fight, but it wasn’t at 100%,” Valentin said at the UFC Belgrade backstage interview. “I knew I needed to make some adjustments with my hip, and I knew when we got to the same position again, I would have it at 100%. So, I was very confident in my grappling for this fight, and in my striking, wrestling, everything. But I would say, ‘Hey, if you fight me, most likely I’m gonna submit you.’”
To be fair, the guillotine choke is a notoriously difficult submission to execute. If the grip loosens even slightly, an opponent can escape and immediately begin landing strikes from the top position. In that regard, it was a smart decision by Valentin to wait until he was fully confident before committing to the choke. Also, the 31-year-old has eight submission victories to his name, so grappling exchanges clearly come naturally to him.
That said, with Robert Valentin securing a stellar victory, it will be interesting to see what the promotion has in store for the middleweight fighter when he decides to return to the Octagon.