Dragan Tešanović (Serbian Cyrillic: Драган Тешановић, born September 2, 1985) is a Serbian retired mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter who competes in the middleweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2007, Tešanović mostly competed in the Eastern European circuit, before signing with the Bellator Fighting Championships.
| Dragan Tešanović | |
|---|---|
| Born | Dragan Tešanović September 2, 1985[1] |
| Other names | Gagi[1] |
| Nationality | Serbian |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)[1] |
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13.2 st)[1] |
| Division | Middleweight |
| Fighting out of | Belgrade, Serbia |
| Team | Car Dusan Silni |
| Years active | 2007–2011 |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 10 |
| Wins | 8 |
| By knockout | 6 |
| By decision | 2 |
| Losses | 2 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 1 |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Mixed martial arts career
editBackground and early career
editTešanović is regarded as a well-rounded fighter, due to his "solid stand-up, great ground work and dangerous clinch game."[2] Tešanović often utilises "soccer kicks" in fights, drawing on his footballing background.[3]
In addition to his professional MMA career, Tešanović has placed first in five Serbian submission fighting competitions.[2] He also holds a 5–1 record in amateur MMA and has been training since the age of 19.[2]
In 2009, Tešanović was named as the sixth top prospect in Europe by Sherdog.[2]
Tešanović's early career saw him compile a perfect 7–0 record, with three first round stoppages.[1] Amongst this record was a decision victory over Antoni Chmielewski[1] after dominating with knee strikes and effective takedown defence.[4]
Tešanović was scheduled to make his English debut in December 2009 against Papy Abedi,[5] though the fight never took place as Tešanović withdrew.[6] His final appearance in his early career was against Gregor Herb.[3] Tešanović won the fight via decision.[1]
Bellator Fighting Championships
editIn August 2010, Tešanović signed with Bellator.[7] 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".[7]
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.[8] Tešanović's previous seven fights[1] have been held in Bulgaria,[9] Serbia[10][11][12][13] and Slovenia,[14][15] making his Bellator 34 fight in Hollywood, Florida[8] his North American debut. He lost the fight via unanimous decision (27–30, 28–29, 28–29).
Mixed martial arts record
edit| 10 matches | 8 wins | 2 losses |
| By knockout | 6 | 0 |
| By submission | 0 | 1 |
| By decision | 2 | 1 |
| Draws | 0 | |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 8-2 |  Matteo Minonzio
|
TKO (knee) | TFC - Tesla Fighting Championship 2 | December 24, 2011 | 1 | 2:30 | Belgrade, Serbia | |
| Loss | 7-2 |  Svetoslav Savov
|
Submission (guillotine choke) | WFC 13 - Heavy Hitters | April 17, 2011 | 2 | N/A | Belgrade, Serbia | |
| Loss | 7-1 |  Mike Bernhard
|
Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 34 | October 28, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Hollywood, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 7-0 |  Gregor Herb
|
Decision (unanimous) | WFC 11 - Bash at the Beach | July 31, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Portorož, Slovenia[14] | |
| Win | 6-0 |  Markus Di Gallo
|
TKO (punch) | WFC 10 - Night of Champions | March 27, 2010 | 2 | 3:43 | Ljubljana, Slovenia[15] | |
| Win | 5-0 |  Matus Laincz
|
TKO (punches) | Ultra FC - Stop the Crime | October 31, 2009 | 2 | 4:31 | Subotica, Serbia[10] | |
| Win | 4-0 |  Antoni Chmielewski
|
Decision (unanimous) | WFC 6 - Relentless | September 27, 2008 | 3 | 5:00 | Sofia, Bulgaria[9] | |
| Win | 3-0 |  Saša Mitrović
|
TKO (punches) | Memorijal Gidra Stojanović | April 6, 2008 | 1 | N/A | Belgrade, Serbia[11] | |
| Win | 2-0 | Mihaly Dobrai
|
TKO (punches) | Ultimate Fight - Čačak | December 1, 2007 | 1 | N/A | Čačak, Serbia[12] | |
| Win | 1-0 | Bojan Vojnović
|
TKO (punches) | Memorijal Gidra Stojanović | March 31, 2007 | 1 | 2:49 | Belgrade, Serbia[13] |
Except where otherwise indicated, details provided in the record box are taken from Sherdog.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Dragan "Gagi" Tesanovic". sherdog.com. Retrieved October 8, 2010.
- ^ a b c d "Top Ten Euro Prospects". sherdog.com. July 25, 2009. Retrieved October 9, 2010.
- ^ a b "10 July Tussles Worth Watching". sherdog.com. July 2, 2010. Retrieved October 9, 2010.
- ^ "Dragan Tesanovic winner at World Free Fight Challenge 6 in Bulgaria". shootersmma.com. September 29, 2008. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved October 9, 2010.
- ^ "Bushido Challenge 1 : War Of The Warriors Set For 12.13.2009". mmaspot.net. August 23, 2009. Archived from the original on November 25, 2010. Retrieved October 9, 2010.
- ^ "10 December Tussles Worth Watching". sherdog.com. December 1, 2009. Retrieved October 9, 2010.
- ^ a b "Bellator signs undefeated Serbian Gagi". sherdog.com. August 18, 2010. Retrieved October 9, 2010.
- ^ a b "Bernhard vs. Tesanovic completes Bellator 34 main card, prelims feature six fights". mmajunkie.com. October 8, 2010. Archived from the original on October 28, 2010. Retrieved October 9, 2010.
- ^ a b "WFC 6 - Relentless". sherdog.com. September 27, 2008. Retrieved October 27, 2010.
- ^ a b "Ultra FC - Stop the Crime". sherdog.com. October 31, 2009. Retrieved October 27, 2010.
- ^ a b "MGS - Memorijal Gidra Stojanovic". sherdog.com. April 6, 2008. Retrieved October 27, 2010.
- ^ a b "Ultimate Fight - Cacak". sherdog.com. December 1, 2007. Retrieved October 27, 2010.
- ^ a b "MGS - Memorijal Gidra Stojanovic". sherdog.com. March 31, 2007. Retrieved October 27, 2010.
- ^ a b "WFC 11 - Bash at the Beach". sherdog.com. July 31, 2010. Retrieved October 27, 2010.
- ^ a b "WFC 10 - Night of Champions". sherdog.com. March 27, 2010. Retrieved October 27, 2010.
