Nina Nikolija Milošević, better known as Queen Beast, is the Serbian bantamweight who recently became the first woman from her country to sign with the UFC. Born in Sweden to a Serbian farming family and carrying dual citizenship, the 29-year-old has long split her identity between those roots and the Australian gyms where she now trains with Family Fight Team under Renato Subotic.
She first stepped onto the mats as a teenager through kickboxing, moved into Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and eventually found her way into full MMA. That path produced one of the strongest amateur résumés of her generation: two IMMAF World titles (2021 and 2022) plus the 2022 European crown, with the latter two coming under the Serbian flag after she switched national representation for the Belgrade Worlds.
Her pro career opened with a split-decision loss to fellow IMMAF standout Cecilie Bolander at Superior Challenge 26 in Stockholm in November 2023. Since then, she has run off eight straight wins across Australia, New Zealand, Spain, French Polynesia, and back home in Belgrade, capping the streak with a decision over undefeated Dina Osman at Brave CF 104. On August 1, she makes her Octagon debut against Hailey Cowan on the UFC’s first card in Serbia.
Milošević is the type of fighter where the whole is probably greater than the sum of her parts. She doesn’t have one elite weapon that immediately jumps off the screen, but she has enough pieces of a complete MMA game to be annoying for a lot of the UFC’s women’s bantamweight division.
On the feet, she is a bit of a mixed bag. Her best weapon is without a doubt the overhand right. That shot is her money-maker, and she throws it with real bad intentions. She likes to set it up with a straight left to the body before coming over the top, and when she connects, you can feel that her hands are heavier than her record might suggest. She has solid fundamentals, good lateral movement, and she is comfortable working in the clinch, where she is competent in the striking.
One of her flaws is that her striking can also look like someone forgot to install the defensive upgrades. She leans forward heavily, keeps her chin right in the middle, and offers opponents a free sample of her face way too often. There isn’t much head movement, her defensive reactions are limited, and she gets tagged more than she should. Her combinations are also pretty basic. She often throws one unique shot at a time rather than putting together layered attacks. There is not much kicking in her game either, which makes her offense easier to read. She can crack, but she is not exactly out there looking like a technical sniper.
The ground game of Nina was, to me, her best attribute. She looks much more natural grappling than striking, with strong positional awareness, excellent scrambling instincts, and a good understanding of how to take backs and maintain control. Her BJJ fundamentals are legitimate, and she constantly threatens submissions. The frustrating part is that she often gets to the right positions but struggles to close the deal. She’ll get the back, lock in the RNC position, find triangles, and then somehow the finish disappears like it owes her money. The tools are there, but the finishes aren’t quite there yet.
Her ground control and back control are probably her biggest strengths. She understands where she needs to be, reacts quickly during scrambles, and does a good job staying attached to opponents. Her takedown defense also looks solid, making her a difficult matchup for fighters who rely heavily on wrestling. I’d like to see her use the body triangle more instead of relying on basic hooks, but so far, it hasn’t stopped her from controlling opponents.
Physically, she has a bit of that Rocky Pennington mold, but smaller. She is not the most explosive or athletic-looking fighter, and she doesn’t have the most intimidating physicality, but she is durable, competent everywhere, and hard to completely break down. Her cardio looks fine to good, and she has shown she can maintain a strong pace even after spending extended time controlling an opponent from the back.
Milošević is basically the definition of a well-rounded fighter without a truly elite area. She is not amazing anywhere, but she is good enough everywhere to make things difficult. Considering how thin the UFC women’s bantamweight division is, it makes sense why she got the opportunity. Fighters like this can absolutely pick up wins because they are complete and reliable.
That said, I have a hard time seeing her becoming a serious contender unless she makes a major leap in her striking and finishing instincts. Right now, she feels more like a tough, competitive roster piece than someone destined to break into the rankings. She’ll get her moments, she’ll frustrate people, and she’ll get UFC wins.
THE MATCHUP WITH HAILEY COWAN
Respectfully, Hailey Cowan stands out as one of the least skilled fighters in the women’s bantamweight division. Brought in largely for her athleticism, she has yet to prove herself as a polished martial artist. Finished in her last two UFC outings, the matchmaking here feels intentional.
Even if Nina Milošević has occasionally struggled to secure submissions before, her fundamentals should more than suffice against Cowan. I expect a submission finish in Round 2, though Round 1 remains very possible. Nina could also close it with her overhand right, considering Alice Pereira knocked out Cowan last time around.
Prediction: Milošević by whatever method she chooses.
