Ilia Topuria-Islam Makhachev hybrid? Nikolija Milosevic aims to make waves in UFC women’s bantamweight division

Surging bantamweight fighter Nikolija Milosevic believes her style combines the skills of three of the top fighters on the planet, and hopes to show the world that skill set in the hallowed UFC octagon.

Since dropping a split decision in her pro debut in November 2023, the Serbian mixed martial artist has done nothing but impress: over her next eight fights, she has gone undefeated, finishing five opponents along the way. In her most recent fight, she handed Dina Osman her first career loss via unanimous decision at BRAVE CF 104 in February.

When asked which fighters she likes to watch compete, Milosevic pointed to three UFC champions as to who she emulates the most.

“I like Ilia Topuria, Islam Makhachev, Khamzat [Chimaev], of course, because I have a very similar style to them,” Milosevic told MMA Fighting. “I’m trying to copy them because Ilia has the good standup, pressuring people to the red zone, whereas Islam is just suffocating people on the ground. So I like that combination. Those are the fighters I like to watch.”

Milosevic has competed in combat sports at high levels since she was a teenager, going from kickboxing to diving into the jiu-jitsu world before finding MMA where she could combine the disciplines. The 29-year-old won multiple IMMAF world titles as an amateur before making the move to the professional level.

“Queen Beast” has been on top of most prospect lists for a UFC call for quite some time, and believes her time is now to make an impact in the women’s 135-pound division.

“I haven’t spoken with them directly, everything goes through my management,” Milosevic said. “But yes, I’ve been hearing and I was told that I was supposed to get it a long time ago, which hasn’t happened yet, but also it’s not up to them because there haven’t been any females on a lot of cards, but it’s coming back again. So then, I just have to stay ready.

“But like I said, I directly haven’t spoken with UFC, this is just what I’ve heard, what my management has told me, what I know for now. But yeah, let’s hope [I get the call soon].

“I can’t wait, but I have to.”

With rumors of the UFC heading to Serbia later this year, Milosevic would love nothing more than to compete on a card like that. And while there are other options for her—with PFL, and even MVP making an MMA push this year—the 8-1 pro believes it’s UFC or bust.

“[It would mean] everything,” Milosevic explained. “That’s what I’ve been working my whole life for. That’s what we’re waiting for. It would be like amazing and surreal, and like, ‘Is this really happening?’ I would have to pinch myself like a million times.