From the Middle East to the Balkan Peninsula, UFC Fight Night returns this weekend in another obscure location.
It’s the first time that the UFC has traveled to Serbia, as headliner Uros Medic will get to fight in front of his hometown crowd in Belgrade.
We have 14 fights on this weekend’s card where oddsmakers are projecting eight of those bouts to end inside the distance.
The entire card begins at 10 a.m. ET and is broadcast on Paramount+.
UFC Fight Night Serbia predictions
Uros Medic vs. Daniel Rodriguez
It’s a big fight for Uros Medic, as he fights at home this weekend against Daniel Rodriguez, who most recently was jailed in Mexico for a small amount of cannabis in his possession.
Rodriguez is coming off a win over Kevin Holland, and he might be a tough matchup for Medic this weekend.
For starters, Rodriguez has only been knocked out once in his MMA career, and that was against Ian Machado Garry, who is now fighting for the title.
His win over Holland was impressive as well; it showed he still has elite cardio, as Holland really faded down the stretch and lost by decision.
Medic has plenty of wins, but his level of competition is too low for me to trust.
His wins over Tim Means and Matthew Semelsberger don’t mean a whole lot, as both have been released from the promotion.
Medic was knocked out by Punahele Soriano, and I think that Rodriguez is a live dog in enemy territory.
Live bet Rodriguez if he survives round one is one of the most obvious bets to target on the card, and I like the value of him to win by KO/TKO +560 on Fanatics.
THE PLAY: Daniel Rodriguez wins by KO/TKO (+560, Fanatics Sportsbook)
Jan Blachowicz vs. Navajo Stirling
Jan Blachowicz is one of those light heavyweights that everyone sleeps on because of his age, but he’s always been consistent.
Blachowicz, 43, has lost four straight fights, but he’s also fought the three former champions in the division and only narrowly lost those fights.
He lost a split decision bout to Alex Pereira and also lost a unanimous decision to current champion Carlos Ulberg.
His opponent, Navajo Stirling, is hardly on the same level as those guys, although he has an impressive 6-0 record in the UFC.
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Stirling is certainly rising; he just defeated Ion Cutelaba by knockout and is 28 years old.
Blachowicz is much older, but I am trusting the veteran in this spot.
Stirling just fought on June 20; it’s a short turnaround, and he’s surely training hard right now, but I think two cage fights in the span of four weeks is a big ask.
Blachowicz has a very high floor as an underdog, and we haven’t seen enough from Stirling at this point to cover a -300 price.
THE PLAY: Jan Blachowicz to win by KO/TKO (10/1, FanDuel)
UFC Fight Night Serbia picks
Aleksandar Rakic vs. Marcin Tybura: Fight goes the distance (+125, Caesars)
Vlasto Cepo vs. Gilbert Urbina: Urbina live to win after round one at +400 or better (Cepo’s cardio is terrible)
Milos Janicic vs. Noah Gugnon: Janicic by decision (+650, FanDuel)
Ludovit Klein vs. Tofiq Musayev: Fight goes the distance (-135, BetMGM)
Oban Elliott vs. Michael Oliveira: Oliveira by KO/TKO (-139, BetRivers)
Borislav Nikolic vs. Mark Vologdin: Nikolic moneyline for parlays
Dennis Buzukja vs. Bogdan Grad: Fight goes the distance (-105, Fanatics)
Mateusz Rebecki vs. Kyle Prepolec: Prepolec by decision (+1100, FanDuel)
Nina Milosevic vs. Hailey Cowan: Fight goes the distance (+102, FanDuel)
Jovan Leka vs. Alexander Poppeck: Poppeck moneyline (+216, Prophet X)
Marina Spasic vs. Stephanie Luciano: Luciano by submission (+470, FanDuel)
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