Uros Medic put on a statement performance to stop Daniel Rodriguez in just 30 seconds at the UFC’s first event in Belgrade, Serbia.
Medic returned to his homeland for the first time in nine years, having moved to the United States to train, and sent a message to the rest of the welterweight division.
Rodriguez, 39, was fighting for the first time since spending eight months in a Mexican jail for possession of marijuana.
Medic, 33, dropped American Rodriguez with a left-right combination before forcing referee Jason Herzog to step in as he finished with kicks and punches on the canvas.
“It has been a really rough couple of weeks since I arrived home,” Medic said.
“It didn’t feel like home even though I was on home soil. Now we got the job done I just want to cry.
“I missed home so much – nine years is a long time. I left as a student at 22 years old with a dream and look where it got me.”
It was Medic’s fourth successive first-round victory and takes his overall record to 14 wins and three defeats.
Serbia became the 33rd country to host a UFC card and Medic rose to the occasion in front of a lively crowd on a record-breaking night.
Medic’s TKO win took the overall tally on the card to a UFC-record 10 first-round finishes, with 12 finishes overall also a new high.
The number 14-ranked welterweight turned his attention to Birmingham’s Leon Edwards and number-one contender Carlos Prates in the aftermath of a stunning victory.
“Carlos Prates is way ahead of me in the division but this would be a fight to remember,” Medic said.
“I asked for Leon Edwards, I think he’s still in hiding, but if he decides to come out of the hole he’s shoved himself into then I’d be glad to knock him out.”