\u201cRobzilla\u201d is extra motivated.<\/p>\n
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight Robert Valentin returns to action this weekend against hometown fighter Dusko Todorovic on the UFC Belgrade main card<\/a>, which goes down Sat., Aug. 1, 2026, inside Belgrade Arena in Belgrade, Serbia.<\/p>\n And for the first time in a while, Valentin sounds like himself again.<\/p>\n It has been a brutal two years for the Swiss fighter, who entered UFC with plenty of eyeballs on him after a strong run on season 32 of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF). Unfortunately, his official Octagon career got off to a nightmare start.<\/p>\n Valentin was stopped by eventual TUF winner Ryan Loder in the finale (watch highlights<\/a>). He then was one half of one of the most boring fights you will ever watch<\/a> when Torrez Finney wrestled him for 15 minutes. After that, Valentin got crushed by super prospect Ateba Gautier in one minute at UFC 319 (watch highlights<\/a>).<\/p>\n So, within one year of being in UFC, Valentin was 0-3 and on the verge of getting released.<\/p>\n That kind of pressure can mess with a fighter.<\/p>\n \u201cI came off of TUF with a lot of hype, so people were saying a lot of good things about me, and the thing was, I was really believing any of it,\u201d Valentin told UFC.com. \u201cAnd because of that, I kind of lost the joy of training and doing all of the things I needed to do. Whenever I entered the gym, I felt pressure, like people watching me. Then I lost the finale and then two more \u2014 and I felt the pressure getting more and more, which made me lose the joy of it all.\u201d<\/p>\n Eventually, Valentin had to stop caring so much about the noise.<\/p>\n \u201cBut then, I finally said, \u2018F\u2014k all of you guys. I don\u2019t give a f\u2014k what you think,\u2019\u201d Valentin continued. \u201cI was a kid dreaming of this. Dreaming about being in the UFC, dreaming of fighting in front of millions of people, and that\u2019s what I\u2019m going to do. Win or lose, I\u2019m going to have the best fight possible.\u201d<\/p>\n That change in mindset, combined with finally getting with a more \u201cstructured team,\u201d helped Valentin claim his first UFC win and keep his career alive.<\/p>\n More importantly, it helped him enjoy the sport again.<\/p>\n \u201cI found my love for the sport again,\u201d Valentin said. \u201cBut the UFC is like every other job \u2014 if you f\u2014king love it then you will be successful in it. However, if you pressure yourself to perform, there is a blockade. I think I finally got rid of this. I had to weather the storm, and now I\u2019m just here enjoying everything.\u201d<\/p>\n Now, Valentin enters UFC Belgrade with something he has never had before inside the Octagon:<\/p>\n Finally coming into a UFC fight off a win, \u201cRobzilla\u201d is ready to put on the kind of performance people expected from him when he first entered the promotion.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s always the same when \u2018Robzilla\u2019 fights,\u201d Valentin said. \u201cIt is violent, all gas no brakes, looking for a finish. I say it every time, tune in and don\u2019t miss it.\u201d<\/p>\n At 0-3, Valentin looked like he might be on his way out.<\/p>\n Now, he is fighting with joy again.<\/p>\n