We all know of the current success and talent that Bosnia’s Golden Generation has produced in sports such as soccer and basketball, but that list might soon include the UFC with the very highly touted prospect Mirsad Bektic impressing early in his fighting career. With a dominant win Stockholm, Sweden at UFC Fight Night vs Paul Redmond over the weekend, Bosnia’s Mirsad Bektic is now 9-0-0 MMA (2-0-0 UFC) and quickly becoming a much talked about name in the UFC community.
Bektic’s story is familiar to many refugees of the Bosnian War. Having fled Srebrenica at the age of 3 with his mother and brothers, Bektic’s family fled to Italy followed by a five year stay in Germany. Eventually his family was allowed to move to the United States, where they started a new life in Lincoln, Nebraska. Going back to his days in Germany, Bektic was always the type of person to stand up for himself and never back down from a fight. These childhood experiences developed a survival mentality that has helped Bektic become the fighter he is today.
Bektic currently trains in Coconut Creek, FL at the famed American Top Team gym. His favorite grappling technique is the rear naked choke while his go-to striking technique is the left-right punch combo. His ability to physically overwhelm most of the fighters at his weight class remains his greatest strength. At the featherweight class, four of his nine wins have come via KO/TKO while two from submissions and three decision victories. His early successes have him currently listed as the number one MMA prospect according to Blood Elbow. While we can’t say for sure how Bektic’s promising career will turn out, his best should be yet to come.
Author: Damir Uzunic
(Source and photo: bhdragons.com)
