Mirsad Bektic

Scouting report

Mirsad Bektic began karate at 11, boxed for about a year and a half starting at 14, and moved into MMA in 2008. He trained at American Top Team from 2011 to 2017 and then at Tristar Gym. In the UFC he beat Chas Skelly, Paul Redmond, Lucas Martins, Russell Doane, Godofredo Pepey and Ricardo Lamas. Darren Elkins knocked him out in a March 2017 fight that CBS Sports ranked the second best of that year. He announced his retirement in July 2021.

Peak ratings

Mirsad Bektic: a wrestler-first featherweight who was never short of injuries

Bektic made his UFC debut at UFC on Fox 11 in Orlando on April 19, 2014 and beat Skelly on a majority decision. After that, pulling out of fights became a pattern. He withdrew from a December 2015 bout with Tatsuya Kawajiri because of injury, and from a December 2018 bout with Renato Moicano. Gaps of ten months to over a year separated several of his fights. His UFC record finished 6-4 with one Performance of the Night bonus, and his career record was 13-4.

Bektic, rating by rating

Boxing. 80. Godofredo Pepey was stopped by a body punch at 2:47 of round one at UFC on Fox 27 in Charlotte in January 2018. It earned a Performance of the Night bonus.

Kickboxing. 76, the weakest of his eight. Josh Emmett stopped him with punches at 4:25 of round one at UFC Fight Night 155 in Sacramento in July 2019.

Wrestling. 86, his best. He beat Paul Redmond on a unanimous decision in Stockholm in January 2015. Redmond missed weight and the fight was held at a 149 pound catchweight.

BJJ. 78. He submitted Russell Doane with a rear-naked choke at 4:22 of round one at UFC 204 in Manchester in October 2016, on five days' notice after Arnold Allen withdrew.

Strength. 82. Lucas Martins took the Renato Moicano slot in Goiania in May 2015 and lost by TKO 30 seconds into round two.

Durability. 80. Elkins knocked him out in round three at UFC 209 in Las Vegas in March 2017. CBS Sports and MMA Junkie both listed it among the best fights of 2017.

Cardio. 82. Ricardo Lamas went all three rounds with him at UFC 225 in Chicago in June 2018, and Bektic won a split decision.

Fight IQ. 78. Damon Jackson submitted him with a guillotine at 1:21 of round three in Las Vegas in September 2020. Jackson was a late replacement for Luiz Eduardo Garagorri.

Wrestling at 86 sets the pace

Wrestling is the top rating and the base of the three decision wins over Skelly, Redmond and Lamas. The Lamas win in Chicago in June 2018 was a split decision across three rounds. CBS Sports ranked the Elkins fight second for 2017 and MMA Junkie ranked it fourth, even though Bektic lost it.

Kickboxing at 76 is where he gets hurt

Elkins and Emmett both finished him standing. Dan Ige beat him on a split decision at UFC 247 in February 2020, and Jackson caught him on the ground seven months later. That makes three straight losses to close his UFC career. Draft him for his wrestling and keep the kickboxing slot for another fighter.

Ratings shown are my own estimates, made with AI assistance and informed by how Mirsad Bektic is regarded by the MMA community. They are unofficial and do not constitute an assessment of Mirsad Bektic's real-world abilities. How the ratings are made. See the disclaimer below. Ratings and write-ups by Haaris A. Last reviewed 2026-09-30; spot an error? Tell us. Read our editorial standards.