Dragan Tešanović ( sr-Cyrl, Драган Тешановић, born September 2, 1985) is a

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

n retired

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...

(MMA) fighter who competes in the

middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have beg ...

division. A professional MMA competitor since 2007, Tešanović mostly competed in the Eastern European circuit, before signing with the Bellator Fighting Championships.

Mixed martial arts career

Background and early career

Tešanović is regarded as a well-rounded fighter, due to his "solid stand-up, great ground work and dangerous clinch game." Tešanović often utilises "soccer kicks" in fights, drawing on his footballing background. In addition to his professional MMA career, Tešanović has placed first in five Serbian submission fighting competitions. He also holds a 5–1 record in amateur MMA and has been training since the age of 19. In 2009, Tešanović was named as the sixth top prospect in Europe by

Sherdog Sherdog is an American website devoted to the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). It also has many forums and discussion pages on the many topics of MMA like records, promotions, etc. The site is a member of the CraveOnline network and provides MM ...

. Tešanović's early career saw him compile a perfect 7–0 record, with three first round stoppages. Amongst this record was a decision victory over Antoni Chmielewski after dominating with knee strikes and effective takedown defence. Tešanović was scheduled to make his English debut in December 2009 against Papy Abedi, though the fight never took place as Tešanović withdrew. His final appearance in his early career was against Gregor Herb. Tešanović won the fight via decision.

Bellator Fighting Championships

In August 2010, Tešanović signed with

Bellator Bellator, warrior in Latin, may refer to: * Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States * Bishop Bellator of Sufetula (5th century) Taxonomy * ''Bellator'' (fish), a fish genus in the family Triglidae (sea robins) ** ...

. Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney stated that "Dragan Tešanović has tremendous potential to become a dominant middleweight" and that "his diverse training regime and quickly progressing skill-set set the table for him to make substantial impact in our 185 division". Later, Tešanović signed to participate in his debut for the promotion. His opponent was named as Mike Bernhard, with the fight taking place at

Bellator 34 2010 in Bellator MMA was the second installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships (Bellator FC)-produced series. It started on April 8, 2010, and ended on June 24, 2010. Tournaments were held in the Featherweight (MMA), featherweight, Light ...

. Tešanović's previous seven fights have been held in

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

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and

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

, making his Bellator 34 fight in

Hollywood, Florida Hollywood is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. It is a suburb in the Miami metropolitan area. The population of Hollywood was 153,067 as of 2020, making it the Broward County#Communities, third-largest city in Broward County, th ...

his North American debut. He lost the fight via unanimous decision (27–30, 28–29, 28–29).

Mixed martial arts record

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, Serbia , , - , Loss , align=center, 7-1 , Mike Bernhard , Decision (unanimous) ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7-0 , Gregor Herb , Decision (unanimous) , WFC 11 - Bash at the Beach , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Portorož Portorož (; ) is a Slovenian Adriatic seaside resort and spa settlement located in the Municipality of Piran in southwestern Slovenia. Its modern development began in the late 19th century with the vogue for the first health resorts. In the earl ...

, , - , Win , align=center, 6-0 , Markus Di Gallo , TKO (punch) , WFC 10 - Night of Champions , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:43 ,

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, , - , Win , align=center, 5-0 , Matus Laincz , TKO (punches) , Ultra FC - Stop the Crime , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:31 ,

Subotica Subotica (, ; , , ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city in Central Europe and the administrative center of the North Bačka District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. Formerly the largest city of Vojvodina region, contemporary Sub ...

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, , - , Win , align=center, 4-0 , Antoni Chmielewski , Decision (unanimous) , WFC 6 - Relentless , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Sofia, Bulgaria Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...

, , - , Win , align=center, 3-0 , Saša Mitrović , TKO (punches) , Memorijal Gidra Stojanović , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

Belgrade, Serbia Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

, , - , Win , align=center, 2-0 , Mihaly Dobrai , TKO (punches) , Ultimate Fight - Čačak , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

Čačak Čačak ( sr-Cyrl, Чачак, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Moravica District in central Serbia. It is located in the West Morava Valley. According to the 2022 census, the city itself has a population ...

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, , - , Win , align=center, 1-0 , Bojan Vojnović , TKO (punches) , Memorijal Gidra Stojanović , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:49 ,

, ''Except where otherwise indicated, details provided in the record box are taken from

.''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tesanovic, Dragan 1985 births Living people Serbian male mixed martial artists Middleweight mixed martial artists Martial artists from Belgrade Place of birth missing (living people) 21st-century Serbian sportsmen