Paul Abraham
Nina Nikolija Milošević will make her UFC debut on August 1. She will face Hailey Cowan in the bantamweight division. The fight will take place at UFC Belgrade. It will be the first UFC event ever held in Serbia. For Milošević, the timing could hardly be better. She will enter the organisation in front of a home crowd.
Before turning professional, Milošević had already built a strong amateur career. She made her name on the IMMAF circuit and became one of the best bantamweights of her generation.
In 2021, she competed at the IMMAF World Championships. Milošević had to win four fights to take the title. She first defeated Daria Tereshchenko. She then beat Katharina Rychkova in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, she got past Tatiana Postarnakova. That run took her to the final against Raiane Vinuto Guimaraes. Milošević won again and became world champion.
One year later, she returned for the European Championships. This time, she defeated Mercedes Custodio Lopez, Giulia Grossi and Paulina Kontna. The result was another gold medal. In two years, Milošević had become both world and European champion. Milošević showed that she could handle the pressure. She faced different styles and kept winning. That amateur background would later help her in the professional ranks.
Her professional debut did not go as planned. Milošević lost to fellow IMMAF alum Cecilie Bolander by split decision, but it remains the only defeat of her career. Since then, the Serbian bantamweight has won eight fights in a row. She submitted Tehanahana Bernardino, stopped Maricel Dela Torre with ground and pound and needed only 52 seconds to beat Gina Gee.
Her striking has also improved. In 2025, she stopped Sandra Succar in the first round before finishing Desi Rahayu in only 58 seconds. Her latest victory came against the unbeaten Dina Osman at BRAVE CF 104. Milošević won by unanimous decision, improved her record to 8-1 and earned her place in the UFC.
Under the guidance of Renato Subotic, Milošević has developed into a more complete fighter. She can finish fights on the ground or with her striking, but she has also shown that she can stay composed over three rounds.
Hailey Cowan will bring more UFC experience into the matchup. The 34-year-old American has a 7-5 record and earned her contract through Dana White’s Contender Series. She has yet to win inside the UFC and enters the fight on a three-fight losing streak. Still, she remains dangerous and has won fights by knockout, submission and decision.
Now Milošević is ready for the biggest stage of her career. She has the chance to prove that her success at both amateur and professional levels can carry over to the UFC.
