I’m not going to pretend like this card is full of household names or star power. But, for the UFC’s first time heading to Serbia they were able to put together a good card full of local guys and fun new prospects, even if the main event is on the weaker side on paper. I’m in the minority, but I’m a big fan Uros Medic’s style, but even then, he shouldn’t be headlining a card. All things considered though, it’s an interesting group of fights.

Women’s Strawweight: Marina Spasić (+230) vs Stephanie Luciano (-280)

Marina “Maki Beki” Spasić is a 32 year old Serbian fighter with a 7-1 professional record. She comes from a kickboxing and Muay Thai background and is a rare knockout artist in WMMA. She has 6 career knockout wins, with her other two fights ending by decision, including her lone professional loss. Her regional opponents have generally had uninspiring records, which makes me question the level of competition she’s faced, especially considering she also has a loss on the regional scene.

Stephanie “Rondinha” Luciano is a 26 year old Brazilian fighter with a 7-2-1 professional record. She is 2-1 in the UFC, earning wins over Talita Alencar and Ravena Oliveira, with a split decision loss to Sam Hughes. Before joining the UFC, she went 5-1 on the regional scene, including a win in LFA. She fought Talita Alencar to a draw on the Contender Series, earned a UFC contract, then avenged that result by beating Alencar in her promotional debut. Luciano has 2 knockout wins, 1 submission, and the rest of her victories have come by decision. All of her finishes have come in the later rounds, and she has never been finished herself.

Luciano’s draw and subsequent win over #15 (Meta) Talita Alencar are very impressive, as that victory remains Alencar’s only UFC loss. The split decision loss to Sam Hughes was definitely a setback, but Hughes was in the middle of a strong run at the time, with her only loss during that stretch coming against #7 (Meta) Piera Rodriguez. It’s still difficult to gauge Luciano’s ceiling, but I believe she has legitimate UFC potential. Spasić is a fun Serbian prospect, even if she’s a bit older, but she hasn’t faced anything close to UFC level competition. She should have some entertaining fights in the promotion, but I think she comes up short here.

Prediction: Stephanie Luciano def. Marina Spasić by Unanimous Decision (29-28)

Heavyweight: Jovan Leka (-225) vs Alexander Poppeck (+185)

Jovan Leka is a big Serbian heavyweight who is 13-2 at just 24 years old. He won a decision on the Contender Series but did not receive a UFC contract. Since then, he’s picked up two more wins, one by knockout and one by submission, while also becoming an ARMMADA champion. He has 7 knockout wins and 4 submissions, with all of his finishes coming within the first two rounds. Both of his career losses have come by decision. His cardio can become an issue, but he’s a dangerous regional heavyweight, especially fighting in front of a home crowd.

Following the injury to Max Gimenis, Alexander Poppeck stepped in on short notice to make his UFC debut. “Ironside” is a 34 year old German fighter with a 21-5 professional record. He suffered a regional loss to Duško Todorović in 2017 and was stopped by Jamahal Hill on the Contender Series in 2019. Since then, he’s put together an impressive 8-1 run in OKTAGON and enters this fight riding a 5 fight win streak. Poppeck has 13 knockout wins and 1 submission, while suffering 1 knockout loss and 2 submission losses.

This fight is scheduled at heavyweight, but Poppeck weighed in at just 215 pounds while Leka came in at 262.5. Poppeck is traditionally a light heavyweight and also gives up three inches in height, along with what is likely a significant reach disadvantage. I think Poppeck is the more proven fighter, but I’m going with the hometown hero. The nearly 50 pound weight advantage is simply too much to ignore, and I think Leka lands the knockout.

Prediction: Jovan Leka def. Alexander Poppeck by TKO in the first round

Women’s Bantamweight: Nina Milošević (-395) vs Hailey Cowan (+300)

Nina “Queen Beast” Milošević is another Serbian debutant. She is 29 years old with an 8-1 professional record. Before turning pro, she went 12-1 as an amateur. After losing her professional debut by split decision, she has won eight straight fights across a variety of regional promotions. She has 3 knockout wins and 2 submissions, with 4 of her 5 finishes coming in the first round. I stop short of calling her a true prospect because she hasn’t proven herself in a major promotion, but her résumé is solid and she should be a fun addition to the shallow women’s bantamweight division.

“All Hail” Hailey Cowan is a 34 year old American fighter with a 7-5 professional record. She put together an impressive 5-2 run in LFA before earning a UFC contract on the 2022 Contender Series. She won her DWCS bout by split decision but has struggled since reaching the UFC. She lost a decision to Jamey-Lyn Horth despite missing weight, was submitted by Nora Cornolle, and was knocked out by Alice Pereira. The level of competition in those losses has been respectable, but Horth and Pereira are both still unranked. Based on her UFC results, Cowan may currently be the weakest fighter on the roster. If she falls to 7-6 and 0-4 in the promotion, there’s a very good chance she’ll be released.

Milošević is a fun new addition to the division, and this matchup feels like it was made to showcase her. Cowan has shown vulnerabilities on the ground, and I think Milošević hurts her on the feet before capitalizing with a submission victory.

Prediction: Nina Milošević def. Hailey Cowan by Submission in the second round

Lightweight: Mateusz Rębecki (-350) vs Kyle Prepolec (+280)

Mateusz Rębecki is a 33 year old Polish fighter with a 20-5 professional record. He was 15-1 when he earned a UFC contract on the Contender Series. Rębecki started 3-0 in the UFC but has gone just 1-4 since. Those losses came against Diego Ferreira, Chris Duncan, Ľudovít Klein, and Grant Dawson, all of whom are either ranked in the top 15 or very close to it. He also owns a split decision win over Myktybek Orolbai, a victory that has aged very well. Rębecki’s fights are almost always bangers, but he absorbs a tremendous amount of damage, and with four losses in his last five fights, that style may finally be catching up to him. He has 9 knockout wins and 7 submissions, although 4 of his 8 UFC fights have gone the distance.

Kyle “Killshot” Prepolec is a 36 year old Canadian fighter with an 18-10 professional record. He went 0-2 during his first UFC stint in 2019 before being released, but returned in 2025 on short notice against Benoit Saint Denis. He looked surprisingly competitive in that fight, and again against Drew Dober, but came up short in both and now sits at 0-4 in the UFC. Outside of the promotion, he has 10 knockout wins on the regional scene.

I really like both of these fighters, but it’s hard to pick someone who’s 0-4 in the UFC. This should be an absolute war, but I think Mateusz Rębecki comes out on top.

Prediction: Mateusz Rębecki def. Kyle Prepolec by TKO in the third round

Featherweight Bogdan Grad (-190) Dennis Buzukja (+160)

Bogdan “The Unleashed” Grad is a 30 year old Austrian fighter with a 15-4 professional record. He went 11-1 on the regional scene before earning a shot on the Contender Series, where he lost to Tom Nolan, who is now ranked at lightweight. Grad won two more fights to earn another opportunity on DWCS. He defeated Michael Aswell by split decision in a fight where both men received UFC contracts, then knocked out Lucas Alexander in his promotional debut to earn a Performance of the Night bonus. Since then, however, he has dropped back-to-back fights against Muhammad Naimov and Luke Riley, leaving him at 1-2 in the UFC. Grad has 9 knockout wins and 3 submissions, with his lone UFC victory coming by knockout. He has never been submitted, but he has been knocked out twice.

Dennis “The Great” Buzukja is a 28 year old American fighter with a 12-6 professional record. He was just 4-1 when he received his first Contender Series opportunity against Melsik Baghdasaryan, losing before returning to the regional scene. After three straight wins, he earned another shot on DWCS and defeated Kaleio Romero by decision, although he was not awarded a contract. Three more victories later, Buzukja was finally signed by the UFC with an 11-2 record. His run in the promotion has been rough, though, as he’s gone 1-4. He missed weight before losing a decision to Sean Woodson, was knocked out by Jamall Emmers, then picked up his lone UFC victory with a knockout of Connor Matthews. Since then, he has suffered losses to Francis Marshall and Márcio Barbosa, leaving him as one of the lowest ranked featherweights on the roster.

Grad isn’t a world beater, but he’s a solid fighter and should be able to get back into the win column here. I think he finds the opening early and finishes the fight shortly after.

Prediction: Bogdan Grad def. Dennis Buzukja by TKO in the first round

Bantamweight: Mark Vologdin (+155) vs Borislav Nikolić (-185)

Mark Vologdin is a 26 year old Russian fighter with a 12-4-2 professional record. He fought to a draw in his professional debut before suffering a loss in his second fight. He then went 12-2, earning himself a shot on DWCS. On the Contender Series, he dropped a decision to Adrian Luna Martinetti in one of the highest volume and most entertaining fights in the show’s history. Despite the loss, he was awarded a UFC contract on the spot. He made his promotional debut against John Castañeda and fought to a draw. Vologdin has 6 knockout wins and 4 submissions, with his lone stoppage loss coming by submission. He fights at an extremely high pace with very little regard for defense, but despite that, he has never been knocked out.

Borislav “Zombee” Nikolić is a 33 year old Serbian fighter with a 16-2 professional record. He steps in as a late replacement for Josias Musasa, who withdrew from the fight. Nikolić comes straight from the regional scene, most notably competing in BRAVE. His only two career losses include one against Brad Katona. He has 7 knockout wins and 8 submissions, and has shown he’s comfortable fighting into the later rounds.

I don’t see Nikolić as a major prospect or anything, but I do think he should be able to get Vologdin to the ground. I expect the fight to start as a wild striking battle before Nikolić eventually secures a takedown and finds the finish.

Prediction: Borislav Nikolić def. Mark Vologdin by Submission in the second round

Welterweight: Michael Oliveira (-330) vs Oban Elliott (+270)

Michael Oliveira is a 28 year old Brazilian fighter with a perfect 9-0 professional record. He went 6-0 with 5 knockouts in LFA before earning a UFC contract with a knockout victory on the Contender Series. He has recorded 8 knockout wins in his 9 professional fights, with 6 of those coming in the first round.

Oban “The Welsh Gangster” Elliott is a 28 year old Welsh fighter with a 12-4 professional record. He put together an impressive run in Cage Warriors before earning a UFC contract with a majority decision win on the Contender Series in 2023. He won his first three UFC fights, although they didn’t come against the highest level of competition. Since then, he has dropped back-to-back fights against Seok Hyeon Ko and Jonathan Micallef. Elliott is a well-rounded fighter, but many of his fights go the distance. He has been knocked out twice and submitted once in his career.

Oban Elliott isn’t a can or anything, but I don’t think he’s a particularly high level UFC fighter either. Michael Oliveira looks like one of the better prospects in the division, and Elliott hasn’t shown he can consistently beat quality competition. I don’t know if I’m quite as high on Oliveira as some people are, but I still think he gets the job done here.

Prediction: Michael Oliveira def. Oban Elliott by KO in the first round

Lightweight: Ľudovít Klein (-210) vs Tofiq Musayev (+180)

Ľudovít “Mr. Highlight” Klein is a 31 year old Slovakian fighter with a 24-5-1 professional record. In my mind, he’s one of, if not the best, unranked lightweight in the UFC, and maybe the best unranked fighter in the entire promotion. He was 16-2 when he signed with the UFC. Klein missed weight in his featherweight debut, won the fight, then lost his next two bouts. After moving up to lightweight, he won six of his next seven fights, with the other ending in a draw against Jai Herbert. He then lost to Mateusz Gamrot before bouncing back with a win over Mateusz Rębecki. I know a lot of fans don’t rate him very highly, and the oddsmakers clearly don’t either, but I think Klein is an excellent fighter who deserves another shot at the top 15. He has 9 knockout wins and 8 submissions in his career, although 6 of his 8 UFC victories have come by decision.

Tofiq Musayev is a 36 year old Azerbaijani fighter with a 23-6 professional record, built primarily through his time in Bellator and Rizin. Since joining the UFC, he is 1-1, losing to Myktybek Orolbai before pulling off an upset over Ignacio Bahamondes earlier this year. Musayev has 18 knockout wins among his 23 victories and has only been knocked out once in his career, although he has been submitted four times.

I probably underrate Musayev, especially considering how well his loss to Orolbai has aged. Even so, there isn’t an unranked lightweight on the roster, outside of maybe King Green, that I’d pick over Klein right now.

Prediction: Ľudovít Klein def. Tofiq Musayev by Unanimous Decision (30-27)

Main Card

Lightweight: Miloš Janičić (-155) vs Noah Gugnon (+130)

Miloš “The Cobra” Janičić is a 29 year old Montenegrin fighter with a 19-3 professional record. He feels like a missed opportunity for the UFC, as it’s surprising he hasn’t even appeared on the Contender Series at this point. Janičić has 11 knockout wins and 8 submissions, giving him a 100% finishing rate. The only two times he’s gone to the judges’ scorecards, he lost. He has also competed in custom rules MMA, kickboxing, and bare knuckle boxing. After losing 2 of his first 3 professional fights as a 19 year old in 2016, Janičić won 10 straight, suffered a lone loss in KSW, and has since won 8 more in a row, or 11 straight if you include his custom rules MMA bouts. To be honest, he hasn’t faced the highest level of competition, but a record like this with a 100% finishing rate deserved a UFC opportunity long before now.

Noah “Guns” Gugnon is a 25 year old French fighter with a 9-2 professional record. He also owns a 100% finishing rate, with 6 knockout wins and 3 submissions. One of his losses came by decision, while the other was by knockout. His résumé includes opponents with stronger records overall, although his toughest test, a Bellator appearance, ended in a loss. He does enter this fight on a 5 fight win streak, however, including four consecutive knockout victories and three straight wins in Ares FC.

This is a strange main card opener, featuring two UFC debutants. Neither looks like a top-tier prospect, but both are exciting fighters, and this should be a great matchup. The judges can probably take a 30 minute break because I don’t see this one making it to the scorecards. I like Gugnon, but I’m taking the Balkan fighter competing in Serbia. I think Janičić’s experience is the difference.

Prediction: Miloš Janičić def. Noah Gugnon by TKO in the first round

Middleweight: Vlasto Čepo (-300) vs Gilbert Urbina (+250)

Vlasto Čepo is the final Serbian newcomer on the card, and maybe the best of the bunch. “El Chapo” is a 31 year old fighter with a 14-3 professional record. Čepo has also competed in boxing. He went 6-2 in OKTAGON, with all six of those victories coming by knockout. Overall, he has 10 knockout wins and 4 submissions, with 13 of his 14 victories ending in the first round. The only time he reached the judges’ scorecards, he lost. The level of competition hasn’t been spectacular, but OKTAGON is a quality promotion, and he’s proven himself there over several years.

Gilbert “The RGV Bad Boy” Urbina is a 30 year old American fighter with a 7-4 professional record. Urbina started his career 6-1, with that lone loss coming against Sean Brady in LFA. He then competed on The Ultimate Fighter. In the opening round, he defeated Micheal Gillmore, who stepped in as an injury replacement for Miles Hunsinger, before losing to Tresean Gore in the semifinals. Before the finale, Gore suffered a knee injury and withdrew, allowing Urbina to step in against Bryan Battle. He lost that fight as well but still earned a UFC contract. Urbina picked up a win over Orion Cosce but has since lost to Charles Radtke and Uroš Medić, leaving him at 1-3 in the UFC.

I just don’t think Urbina is a very good UFC fighter. Maybe the move up from welterweight helps, but I think Vlasto Čepo lands a big shot and gets the finish.

Prediction: Vlasto Čepo def. Gilbert Urbina by TKO in the first round

Middleweight: Duško Todorović (+135) vs Robert Valentin (-160)

Duško “Thunder” Todorović is a 32 year old Serbian fighter with a 13-6 professional record. He went 8-0 on the regional scene, including a win over Michel Pereira, before earning his UFC contract with a victory on the Contender Series. He has gone just 4-6 in the UFC, but many of his losses have come against solid competition. Punahele Soriano, Gregory Rodrigues, Chidi Njokuani, and Christian Leroy Duncan are all respectable names on his résumé, although his last two losses to Mansur Abdul-Malik and Zach Reese are more concerning. He did bounce back with a win over José Medina in his most recent fight. Todorović has 8 knockout wins and 4 submissions, with his Contender Series victory being his only career win by decision. He has lost two UFC fights by decision but has also been knocked out four times.

Robert “Robzilla” Valentin is a 31 year old Swiss fighter with an 11-6 professional record. He was 10-3 when he earned his spot on The Ultimate Fighter. He defeated Giannis Bachar and Paddy McCorry before losing the finale to Ryan Loder, which was also his UFC debut. He followed that up with losses to Torrez Finney and Ateba Gautier but bounced back in his most recent fight with a win over Julien Leblanc. Valentin has 3 knockout wins and 7 submissions, with his lone UFC victory coming by submission.

A lot of people are backing Valentin in this matchup, but I just don’t see it. Todorović has six career losses but has never been submitted, and I don’t think Valentin is the fighter to change that. On the feet, I believe Todorović is the better striker, and I think he gets the job done.

Prediction: Duško Todorović def. Robert Valentin by TKO in the first round

Heavyweight: #13LHW Aleksandar Rakić (-310) vs #13 Marcin Tybura (+255)

Aleksandar “Rocket” Rakić is a 34 year old Serbian fighter with a 14-6 professional record. He lost his professional debut but won 8 straight to get a shot in the UFC. He started 4-0 before losing to Volkan Oezdemir and bouncing back against Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos. Since then though, Rakić got injured against Jan Błachowicz and has lost to Jiří Procházka, Magomed Ankalaev, and Azamat Murzakanov. A 4 fight losing streak coming off an injury is a tough look, and it’s possible Aleksandar Rakić doesn’t have what it takes anymore, but that’s quite a strong list of recent losses. Now moving up to Heavyweight, he’s hoping for a fresh start and to be able to end the losing streak. He has 9 career knockouts and 1 submission.

Marcin “Tybur” Tybura is a 40 year old Polish Heavyweight with a 27-11 record. He started 12-0 on the regional scene, losing his 0 to a doctor stoppage and bouncing back with a win over Ante Delija. He’s gone 14-10 in the UFC has a heavyweight gatekeeper. His best wins are probably Serghei Spivac, Tai Tuivasa, Jhonata Diniz and Mick Parkin. He had a nice run from 2020 to March of 2025 where he won 10 fights and only lost to Alexander Volkov, Tom Aspinall, and Serghei Spivac, but has since lost to Ante Delija and Tyrell Fortune. It seems that he’s regressing at this point and at 40 years old there are a lot of fighters I’d take to beat Tybura.

Rakić weighed in at just 237.5, while Tybura weighed in at 254.0. I definitely think Aleksandar Rakić is the better fighter at the moment, but the jump up to Heavyweight isn’t for everyone, and it’s possible Rakić is completely washed by now as well. Ultimately though, I decided to trust my gut and go with Rakić.

Prediction: Aleksandar Rakić def. #13 Marcin Tybura by KO in the first round

Co-Main Event

Light Heavyweight: #4 Jan Błachowicz (+245) vs #15 Navajo Stirling (-300)

Jan Błachowicz is a 43 year old Polish fighter with a 29-11-2 professional record. He is 12-8-2 in the UFC and has one of the more interesting careers in the division’s history. After losing his professional debut, he went on a 16-2 run in KSW before making the jump to the UFC. He struggled early, starting 2-4 in the promotion, but eventually turned things around. He won four straight fights, including victories over Jared Cannonier and Nikita Krylov, before suffering a setback against Thiago Santos. Błachowicz then put together another run, winning three straight, including a victory over Luke Rockhold, before earning a title shot against Dominick Reyes.

He then faced the undefeated Israel Adesanya, who moved up from middleweight, and successfully defended his belt. After losing the title to Glover Teixeira, Błachowicz defeated Aleksandar Rakić after an injury stoppage but has not won a fight in the last four years. He drew with Magomed Ankalaev, lost to Alex Pereira and Carlos Ulberg, and fought to another draw against Bogdan Guskov. After two failed attempts to rebook the Guskov rematch, Błachowicz now gets a new opponent.

There are two very different arguments when evaluating Błachowicz. On one hand, he has not won a fight in four years, is 43 years old, and his last victory came due to an injury stoppage. He has only recently returned to the Meta rankings at #13 after previously being unranked. On the other hand, his only losses over the last seven years have come against future champions in Glover Teixeira and Alex Pereira, as well as Carlos Ulberg, who is currently one of the division’s top contenders. He sits at #4 in the media rankings because nobody below him has actually beaten him. His draw with Ankalaev is impressive, and the draw with Guskov showed he still has something left. The reality is probably somewhere in the middle. He is currently #7 in my rankings, but I could see a wide range of outcomes for Błachowicz at this stage of his career.

Navajo Stirling is a 28 year old prospect from New Zealand with a perfect 10-0 professional record. He comes from a kickboxing and Muay Thai background and was only 4-0 when he appeared on the Contender Series, earning a UFC contract with a second round knockout. He started his UFC career with decision wins over Tuco Tokkos, Ivan Erslan, and Rodolfo Bellato. Those names are not exactly a murderer’s row of opponents, but Stirling has taken a major step forward recently, knocking out Bruno Lopes and Ion Cutelaba in his last two fights to break into the rankings.

The media rankings have him at #15, 11 spots behind Błachowicz, although the Meta rankings actually have Stirling at #10, three spots ahead of Błachowicz. Before joining the UFC, Stirling was a knockout artist, but his early UFC run raised questions because of his decision-heavy style. He now has 6 knockout wins and 4 decision victories in his 10 professional fights. At 5-0 in the UFC, he gets his first true test against an established contender and a chance to jump into the top of the division.

This is my main event, and I love the group of light heavyweight prospects coming up, including Navajo Stirling. He has already fought five times since earning a contract on the 2024 season of the Contender Series, with this being his third fight of the year after competing just two months ago on the Kape vs. Horiguchi card. I understand why the undefeated prospect is favored, but I don’t think Stirling has been so dominant that he should be viewed as a sure thing against someone like Błachowicz.

Bogdan Guskov was also an ascending prospect with better wins than Stirling currently has, although he did have losses to Volkan Oezdemir and earlier in his regional career. Błachowicz fought him to a draw. I am still picking Stirling, but I think the oddsmakers are a little too confident here. Stirling at -300 is only slightly longer odds than Ulberg was when he fought Błachowicz at -350. Stirling has also shown some difficulty finishing fights, and I don’t see a fighter who has recently gone the distance with Alex Pereira, Magomed Ankalaev, and Carlos Ulberg suddenly getting finished.

I actually think Błachowicz does more than just steal a round. I think he does enough to convince at least one judge that he won the fight. A draw is difficult to predict because it usually requires something unusual, like a point deduction or a dominant 10-8 round, and I don’t see this fight ending up in that kind of scenario. I can’t officially pick a draw, but I’m taking the closest outcome possible.

Prediction: #15 Navajo Stirling def. #4 Jan Błachowicz by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)

Main Event

Welterweight: #14 Uroš Medić (-330) vs #15 Daniel Rodriguez (+265)

This is one of the strangest main events of all time, as hometown hero Uroš Medić takes on Daniel Rodriguez in a battle between barely ranked welterweights. Uroš Medić headlining in Serbia is completely understandable. #14 Uroš Medić vs. #15 Daniel Rodriguez is also very reasonable matchmaking. Combining those two ideas into a world where the 39 year old Rodriguez is headlining a UFC event in 2026 is something I still can’t quite wrap my head around.

Uroš “The Doctor” Medić is a 33 year old Serbian fighter with a 13-3 professional record. He was just 5-0 when he earned a shot on DWCS, where a first round knockout earned him a UFC contract. He won his UFC debut with a Performance of the Night bonus before losing to Jalin Turner by submission. He then won two more fights, lost to Myktybek Orolbai, defeated Tim Means with another performance bonus, and then suffered a loss to Punahele Soriano. Turner, Orolbai, and Soriano are not bad losses, but they are not the kind of losses you’d expect from someone now ranked and headlining a UFC event.

Since that point, Medić has completely changed the trajectory of his career. He has defeated Gilbert Urbina, Muslim Salikhov, and Geoff Neal, all within the first 80 seconds of the fight. The Neal victory earned him another Performance of the Night bonus and a spot in the rankings. Overall, Medić has 11 knockout wins and 2 submissions, while suffering 1 knockout loss and 2 submission losses. He has never seen the judges’ scorecards, win or lose, and has only reached the third round once in his career.

We should be in for an exciting fight, but this is also Medić’s first five round bout. We’ve never seen anything from him that suggests he can win a five round decision, so it is possible he slows down and tries to preserve his energy. If I were Medić, though, I would trust his power and hunt for the early finish, knowing his biggest advantage is probably within the first couple rounds.

Daniel “D-Rod” Rodriguez is a 39 year old American fighter with a 20-5 professional record. He was 8-1 when he appeared on the Contender Series in 2019. He won his fight but did not receive a contract. After one more regional victory, he eventually signed with the UFC. Rodriguez submitted Tim Means in his debut and earned a Performance of the Night bonus. He then won six of his next seven fights, with his only loss during that stretch coming against Nicolas Dalby.

Losses to Neil Magny, Ian Machado Garry, and Kelvin Gastelum slowed his rise, but Rodriguez has bounced back with three straight wins over Alex Morono, Santiago Ponzinibbio, and Kevin Holland. The Holland victory earned him a spot in the rankings. Rodriguez has 9 knockout wins and 4 submissions in his career, although his UFC success has often come through decision. Six of his 10 UFC victories have gone the distance, and two of his four UFC finishes have come after the first round. Rodriguez clearly becomes more dangerous as fights go longer, especially compared to Medić.

Medić is ranked #14 in both ranking systems, while the media have Rodriguez at #15 and the Meta rankings have him at #13, ahead of Medić. On paper, this fight is extremely close, but with the hometown advantage in Serbia, it just feels like Medić is going to get it done. I’m also higher on Medić overall, which makes this pick easier.

I do worry that Rodriguez takes over if this fight gets extended, but I think Medić is dangerous enough to avoid that scenario. I think he wins a competitive first round, then comes out aggressive in the second and finds the knockout to win the main event.

Prediction: #14 Uroš Medić def. #15 Daniel Rodriguez by TKO in the second round