UFC Belgrade Brings Awesome Main Card to Serbia for Debut

UFC Belgrade fight week rolls on. Saturday, the month of August begins, and so does a busy stretch for the UFC. Every Saturday in the upcoming month, the promotion will hold an event. It begins this coming weekend with the fabled Octagon making its first-ever appearance in the country of Serbia.

Belgrade Arena will play host to UFC Belgrade on Saturday night. Live coverage of the show begins with the prelims at the earlier time of 10 am ET/ 7 am PT. If you're watching from inside the United States of America, UFC Belgrade will be screened gavel-to-gavel on Paramount Plus.

The main card caps the action at 1 pm ET/ 10 am PT. Barring any late adjustments to the bout order between now and the weekend, the final version of UFC Belgrade features a 14-fight itinerary from MMA's No. 1 promotion.

UFC Belgrade Main Event: No. 14 Contender Uros Medic vs. No. 15 Contender Daniel Rodriguez: Medic Looks for Another Quick Win

At the top of the bill Saturday night, the welterweights take to the fabled Octagon for a contest matching No. 14 contender Uros Medic (13-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) against No. 15 contender Daniel Rodriguez (20-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC.) This fight is a five-round contest at five minutes per round.

Uros Medic makes the walk at UFC Belgrade Saturday night with a record of 4-1 in his last five fights. Currently, he's on a three-fight winning streak, with all of those wins coming by way of first-round knockout.

Last time out, he finished off Geoff Neal (16-8 MMA, 8-6 UFC) with a left hook in one minute and 19 seconds' time. In so doing, he received a cash advance in the amount of $50,000 (USD) for the Performance of the Night Bonus.

Throughout his ongoing winning streak, Medic has had quick nights at the office. Will this Saturday night bring another short assignment?

Daniel Rodriguez in First Bout Since Being Released from Prison

Across the way, Daniel Rodriguez owns a 3-2 record in his last five outings. Like Uros Medic, Rodriguez is also on a three-fight winning streak.

Last year in New Orleans, he fought his way to a unanimous decision victory over Kevin Holland (29-15, 1 NC MMA, 16-12, 1 NC UFC.) After that fight, Daniel Rodriguez vacationed in Mexico and later found himself under arrest for drug possession.

He'd serve an eight-month jail sentence after he was found holding 27 grams of marijuana in a backpack. During Wednesday's media session, he mentioned that he didn't know if he could fight again after the arrest.

"They wanted to actually give me a couple of years," Rodriguez said of his prison term. "If that was the case, I knew for sure my career was over."

With Rodriguez now a free man, he looks toward Saturday night and the task at hand: Stopping Uros Medic's winning streak.

UFC Belgrade Co-Main Event: No. 4 Contender Jan Blachowicz vs. No. 15 Contender Navajo Stirling: Blachowicz Hungry for Win

Immediately beforehand, the co-main event of the evening at UFC Belgrade sees light heavyweight action take place when No. 4 contender Jan Blachowicz (29-11-2 MMA, 12-8-2 UFC) fights No. 15 contender Navajo Stirling (10-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC.) This restructured contest is a three-round fight at five minutes each.

Blachowicz enters UFC Belgrade having gone 1-3-1 in his last five fights. Back on Dec. 6, he fought to a draw versus Bogdan Guskov (18-4-1 MMA, 4-2-1 UFC) in UFC 323. A rematch was booked twice over, first on May 9 and then on Aug. 1.

In both cases, the fight was postponed, most recently due to Guskov being booked to fight Magomed Ankalaev last weekend in Abu Dhabi, losing by fifth-round knockout. Blachowicz hasn't gotten his hand raised in victory since May of 2022 versus Aleksandar Rakic (14-6 MMA, 6-5 UFC), a third-round TKO due to a leg injury. 

At age 43 and after having mulled retirement in the past because of injuries, Blachowicz is in the twilight of his career. Can he secure his 30th career win?

Navajo Stirling Eyes Short-Notice Win

Meanwhile, Navajo Stirling is still unbeaten in his professional MMA career. On June 20, he stopped Ion Cutelaba (20-11-1, 1 NC MMA, 9-11-1, 1 NC UFC) during the second round of their fight.

Upon coming home from a trip to Japan, he accepted the fight against Blachowicz on a few weeks' notice.

"I've just got to utilize my youth," Stirling said of fighting Blachowicz in a recent Home of Fight interview. "I'd just come off the best camp of my life, so why wouldn't I take it?

Stirling has only had a few weeks to prepare, so how will he fare here? Tune in and find out.

UFC Belgrade: Aleksandar Rakic vs. No. 12 Contender Marcin Tybura: Rakic Looking to Snap Four-Fight Losing Streak

Also on the UFC Belgrade main card this Saturday, heavyweights square off in a fight matching the aforementioned Aleksandar Rakic (14-6 MMA, 6-5 UFC) against No. 12 contender Marcin Tybura (27-11 MMA, 14-10 UFC.) Rakic has gone 1-4 in his last five outings.

He's dropped four contests in a row, including a first-round knockout by way of a jab from Azamat Murzakanov (16-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC.) Saturday's bout is his 12th in the UFC. It's also Rakic's most critical bout in the UFC.

With Rakic experiencing a four-fight losing streak, another loss would mean five straight without getting his hand raised and it would drop him to .500 in the promotion. 

Even though this contest is a three-round affair, expect Rakic to treat it with the same intensity as a championship fight.

Tybura Also Looking to Get Back to Victory Lane

In the other corner, Marcin Tybura is 2-3 over his last five appearances. He's been a streaky fighter of late, having dropped two in a row after winning two fights in succession. 

At the end of March, he was defeated (unanimous decision) by Tyrell Fortune (18-4, 2 NC MMA, 1-1 UFC) in the latter's UFC debut. Much like Aleksandar Rakic, Marcin Tybura is also in his 40s. 

If Tybura is to make a late run at heavyweight supremacy, the time to start is now. Who will emerge victorious?

Rest of the Card

UFC Belgrade's main card is rounded out by the following contests:

• A middleweight bout pairing Dusko Todorovic (13-6 MMA, 4-6 UFC) against Robert Valentin (11-6, 1 NC MMA, 1-3 UFC,)
• a middleweight fight between Vlasto Cepo (14-3 MMA, UFC promotional debut) and Gilbert Urbina (7-4 MMA, 1-3 UFC,)
• and a lightweight encounter versing Milos Janicic (19-3 MMA, UFC promotional debut) with Noah Gugnon (9-2 MMA, UFC promotional debut.)