UFC Fight Night: Medić vs. Rodriguez Preview: Full Fight Card Breakdown
UFC Fight Night: Medić vs. Rodriguez — Full Fight Card Preview
August 1, 2026 | Belgrade Arena, Belgrade, Serbia
Serbia hosts a UFC event for the first time in history this Saturday. The UFC has set up shop at Belgrade Arena for a card built around a simple premise: give the most popular Serbian fighter on the roster a chance to headline in his own backyard. Everything else is a bonus, and there is plenty of bonus on offer.
The Full Card
| Fight | Weight Class | Card Section |
|---|---|---|
| Uroš Medić vs. Daniel Rodriguez | Welterweight | Main Card |
| Jan Błachowicz vs. Navajo Stirling | Light Heavyweight | Main Card |
| Marcin Tybura vs. Aleksandar Rakić | Heavyweight | Main Card |
| Dusko Todorovic vs. Robert Valentin | Middleweight | Main Card |
| Vlasto Čepo vs. Gilbert Urbina | Middleweight | Main Card |
| Milos Janicic vs. Noah Gugnon | Lightweight | Main Card |
| Ľudovít Klein vs. Tofiq Musayev | Lightweight | Preliminary Card |
| Oban Elliott vs. Michael Oliveira | Welterweight | Preliminary Card |
| Borislav Nikolic vs. Mark Vologdin | Bantamweight | Preliminary Card |
| Dennis Buzukja vs. Bogdan Grad | Featherweight | Preliminary Card |
| Mateusz Rębecki vs. Kyle Prepolec | Lightweight | Preliminary Card |
| Hailey Cowan vs. Nina Nikolija Milosevic | Bantamweight | Preliminary Card |
| Jovan Leka vs. Alexander Poppeck | Heavyweight | Preliminary Card |
| Stephanie Luciano vs. Marina Spasic | Strawweight | Preliminary Card |
Main Event: Medić vs. Rodriguez — Welterweight
This is Uroš Medić's moment. The only ranked Serbian fighter on the UFC roster, Medić (13-3) headlines his first UFC main event in his home country at a sold-out Belgrade Arena. He arrives on the back of a three-fight knockout streak that has turned heads in the welterweight division. All thirteen of his professional wins have come by finish, with his last three — over Gilbert Urbina, Muslim Salikhov, and Geoff Neal — all coming inside the first round.
Daniel Rodriguez (20-5) is not the sort of opponent who arrives to make anyone look good. The California veteran last fought in May 2025, stopping Santiago Ponzinibbio via third-round TKO to restart his career. Rodriguez has built a reputation as one of welterweight's most durable and difficult stylistic matchups: a patient, calculated fighter who absorbs early pressure, finds his rhythm, and grinds opponents down over time. He is the exact antithesis of what Medić needs in his opponent tonight.
The central tension is straightforward. Medić needs to close the distance and land his signature power shots before Rodriguez settles in. Rodriguez needs to survive Medić's early aggression, neutralize the offense, and build toward a decision or a late finish. A crowd of nearly 20,000 partisan Serbians will be trying to will one of those outcomes into existence. Both men enter riding three-fight winning streaks, and a fourth win for either puts them squarely in welterweight title contention conversations.
Co-Main Event: Błachowicz vs. Stirling — Light Heavyweight
This is among the more intriguing matchups on the card and not simply because of the pedigree involved. Jan Błachowicz, the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, turns 43 in just weeks and his last victory inside the Octagon dates to May 2022 — a unanimous decision over Aleksandar Rakić. Stirling, 28, is unbeaten as a professional and has taken five straight wins inside the UFC, including stoppages over Ion Cutelaba and Bruno Lopes, all while training at City Kickboxing in New Zealand. He enters as a significant betting favorite.
Blachowicz is the recognizable name and the natural crowd pleaser for European audiences, but this is Stirling's opportunity to announce himself as a genuine contender at 205 pounds. The younger fighter's recent run has been methodical and efficient; Blachowicz, while a legend of the division, carries age and recent inactivity into this fight. An upset here would carry real divisional weight.
Notable Bout: Tybura vs. Rakić — Heavyweight
Among the under-the-radar storylines on this card is Aleksandar Rakić making his heavyweight debut. The Serbian fighter spent his entire professional career at light heavyweight, where he compiled a four-fight losing streak including a knockout loss to Azamat Murzakanov. His stated reason for moving up: his body stopped recovering properly at 205 pounds.
Marcin Tybura, ranked No. 12 at heavyweight, greets him on the other side. The Polish veteran is also coming off consecutive losses, making this a crossroads fight between two fighters looking to reset. A packed Belgrade Arena will give Rakić a warm homecoming reception, but reset fights rarely go to the crowd favorite by default.
Notable Bout: Klein vs. Musayev — Lightweight (Preliminary Card)
If you want action on the prelims, find Ľudovít Klein vs. Tofiq Musayev. Klein, the Slovak lightweight nicknamed "Mr. Highlight," carries a 24-5-1 record and has won five of his last six, most recently earning a Fight of the Night bonus in a majority decision over Mateusz Rębecki at UFC 321. Musayev (23-6) is a heavy-handed Azerbaijani with 18 of his 23 wins by stoppage. He returned from a submission loss with a decision win over Ignacio Bahamondes in March 2026. Both men finish fights, and the stylistic contrast between Klein's all-around game and Musayev's knockout power makes this one of the more watchable bouts on the preliminary card.
Context
This card carries the structural weight of a historic first for the region. Serbia's MMA community has grown steadily over the past decade, and placing the UFC's banner inside Belgrade Arena for the first time reflects that. The card has absorbed several late cancellations and opponent changes in the weeks leading up to the event, but the reshuffled version retains real stakes at every level of the main card. The first UFC show in Serbia delivers a clear headline purpose, an intriguing co-main with divisional implications, and enough finishing potential across the card to make August 1 a long night of MMA.