FNC 15 | Ljubljana | Slo Rocky knocked out Žgela in the first round, amazing bare knuckle, and Barton's title defense

What a night in Ljubljana! MMA fans have waited four months for a new edition of the Fight Nation Championship, and the event at the Arena Stožice, organized by the best promotion in Southeast Europe, exceeded expectations. The marvelous Miran 'Slo Rocky' Fabjan (38, 4-2) knocked out Mario Žgela (27, 7-3) after just 47 seconds of the first round, igniting a huge celebration among the home crowd and challenging Darko Stošić (32, 20-6) who accepted the fight!

The premiere of bare-knuckle boxing in the FNC cage was spectacular. We witnessed five rounds of a real 'war,' with both fighters throwing 'bombs,' and in the end, Uroš Jurišić (31, 2-0) from Ljubljana won by decision, while Joelson Nascimento (26, 0-1) certainly put on a great performance. The stands went wild when the local hero and crowd favorite Bojan 'Želva' Kosednar (40, 13-15) won by technical knockout victory against Aleksandar Janković (29, 16-13-1).

The FNC featherweight champion successfully defended his title for the first time. Jordan 'Lord' Barton (31, 9-3-1) secured a marvelous first-round knockout victory against the challenger Itay Tratner (23, 9-6-1) in the co-main event of the evening.

The Slovenians delighted the Arena Stožice

The first match of the evening didn't go as expected by the Slovenian audience. Bulgarian fighter Ibraim Mandev (28, 1-1) choked out the local Anže Vujčić (30, 0-2) halfway through the first round. In the second fight, the Cuban fighter residing in Slovenia, Andres Ramos (28, 3-0), emerged victorious. In the third match, we saw the first five minutes, but didn't enter the second round. Demahmet Sinani (21, 2-2) conceded the match due to injury, granting Slovenian fighter Dino Suljkanović (23, 2-1) another win for the home crowd.

Following the preliminary fights came the main part of the evening, which opened with a victory by the greatest Slovenian MMA talent, Jan Berus (21, 3-0), who choked out Jovan Kandić (23, 5-6) after halfway through the first round. In the heavyweight clash, the brave performance was delivered by Croatian veteran Josip Matković (44, 1-2), but he eventually conceded the match due to injury in the third round against Milenko Stamatović (30, 4-0). And the legendary Ivica Trušček (41, 44-39) once again showcased his excellent guillotine and finished Slovenian fighter Marko Vardjan (34, 7-8) in the first round.

FNC 15 | Arena Stožice | Ljubljana

Miran Fabjan def. Mario Žgela via TKO (punches) R1, 0:49
Jordan Barton def. Itay Tratner via KO (punch) R1, 2:28
Bojan Kosednar def. Aleksandar Janković via TKO (GNP) R2,
Uroš Jurišić def. Joelson Nascimento via unanimous decision (48-46 x2, 49-45)
Ivica Trušček def. Marko Vardjan via submission (guillotine choke) R1, 1:07
Milenko Stamatović def. Josip Matković via TKO (leg injury) R3,
Jan Berus def. Jovan Kandić via submission (arm-triangle) R1, 2:47

Dino Suljkanović def. Demahmet Sinani via TKO (opponent retirement) R1, 5:00
Andres Ramos def. Vladimir Hajek via submission (americana) R1, 1:17
Ibrahim Mandev def. Anže Vujčić via submission (rear-naked choke) R1, 2:30