The UFC’s debut in Serbia is taking place on Saturday, August 1 at the Belgrade Arena. Two welterweights on a three-fight winning streak, Uros Medic and Daniel Rodriguez, are facing off in the Main Event of this card. This event has a special start time of 10:00 a.m. ET with the Prelims and continues at 1:00 p.m. ET with the Main Card on Paramount+.
Check out my best bets and full breakdown below ahead of this week’s UFC Fight Night.
Best Bets for UFC Fight Night: Medic vs. Rodriguez
- Medic vs. Rodriguez: Over 1.5 Rounds (+154): Although Uros Medic is a supreme knockout artist and the more active fighter, Daniel Rodriguez is a tough veteran who could force this contest into the later rounds.
- Navajo Stirling to win by Decision (-105): Surging Light Heavyweight Navajo Stirling prospect enters this contest with an undefeated record of 10-0 and looks untouchable. Although Jan Blachowicz isn’t on a great streak, he still will likely be hard for the City Kickboxing product to finish.
- Aleksandar Rakic to win by KO/TKO/DQ (+120): Aleksandar Rakic is on a four-fight losing streak but has an excellent matchup in his first Heavyweight fight against struggling veteran Marcin Tybura. Rakic should be able to break Tybura down with his elite athleticism and above-average striking.
UFC Fight Night: Medic vs. Rodriguez Best Bets Breakdown
Medic vs. Rodriguez: Over 1.5 Rounds (+154)
Uros Medic has scored three consecutive knockouts, with his latest coming against Geoff Neal in February. Medic is all action, as all 16 of his MMA fights have ended via submission or knockout. Daniel Rodriguez last beat Kevin Holland at UFC 318 in July 2025. Since then, Rodriguez served an eight-month prison sentence in Mexico but has returned home and is ready to continue his MMA career.
On paper, it is a close matchup as both fighters are the same height (6’1″), with Rodriguez having a three-inch edge in standing reach (74″ vs. 71″). With two fighters who are primarily strikers, this fight will likely spend the majority of the contest on the feet. D-Rod averages more significant strikes per minute (7.20 vs. 5.59), but Medic is the more accurate striker (60% vs. 49%). Medic is also a quicker fighter, which could cause problems for Rodriguez, who has struggled to keep up in fast-paced bouts.
With Medic being a -395 favorite and Rodriguez as a +310 underdog, my favorite play is over 1.5 rounds, which is +154. That is because Rodriguez has only been finished once in the first round, and his last four contests have lasted three rounds. Seven of Rodriguez’s previous eight contests have gone at least three rounds. Medic does have 12 first-round finishes, but he could struggle against a tough veteran like Rodriguez, who has given elite rising fighters some problems in the past.
Navajo Stirling to win by Decision (-105)
42 days after knocking out Ion Cutelaba, rising star Navajo Stirling is back to take on former Light Heavyweight Champion Jan Blachowicz. Blachowicz was originally slated to have a rematch with Bogdan Guskov, whom he fought to a draw in his last contest. But Stirling stepped up after Guskov took a fight against Magomed Ankalaev. Stirling hails from Auckland, New Zealand, the home of City Kickboxing, which has produced many UFC Champions such as Israel Adesanya, Carlos Ulberg and Alexander Volkanovski.
Stirling appears to have what it takes to hold what his teammate Ulberg currently possesses, the UFC Light Heavyweight title. Right now, Stirling is 10-0 with six knockouts and has won his first five fights in the UFC. But now Stirling has the toughest test of his career in front of him with Blachowicz. Although Blachowicz is a former title holder, he is 0-2-2 in his previous four contests, and his time among the elite at 205 pounds may be over as he is 42.
Stirling is taller (6’4″ vs. 6’2″) with a larger standing reach (79″ vs. 78″) than Blachowicz. While being bigger and the better all-around athlete, Stirling has all the tools to deliver another outstanding performance. But it could be harder for Stirling to finish Blachowicz than his previous opponents. That is because Blachowicz has only been knocked out once in the UFC (February 2019). Also, former Lightweight Champion Alex Pereira and current 205-pound king Carlos Ulberg weren’t able to finish him as well. Three of Stirling’s five wins in the UFC have been by decision, and you can get him at -105 to win on the judges’ scorecards.
Aleksandar Rakic to win by KO/TKO/DQ (+120)
After suffering four consecutive losses, Aleksandar Rakic is moving up to the Heavyweight division. Rakic lost his last fight against Azamat Murzakanov at UFC 321 in October 2025. His last win came against Thiago Santos at UFC 259 in March 2021. Rakic’s first fight at Heavyweight will be against Marcin Tybura. Tybura, 40, has suffered back-to-back losses to Tyrell Fortune and Ante Delija but is still ranked No. 13 at Heavyweight.
This is a good matchup for Rakic’s first fight at heavyweight, as he is the better striker in this contest. Rakic lands more significant strikes per minute (4.13 vs. 3.56) while absorbing fewer strikes per minute (2.86 vs. 3.26) and having a better striking accuracy (50% vs. 48%). Even though Rakic has struggled in the Octagon lately, he still is only 34 years old and could do well with a division change.
Rakic is a much better athlete than Tybura, which should allow him to dictate the pace of the contest while finding success. If Rakic is aggressive with a high output, he should be able to score a knockout. Rakic’s last knockout victory was in June 2019. From February 2012 to June 2019, Rakic went 12-0 with nine knockouts in that span. This could be the start of a new winning streak for Rakic as he will be much quicker and more athletic than a lot of traditional heavyweights. With nine of Rakic’s 14 career wins coming by knockout, I’m taking him at +120 to win by KO/TKO/DQ on DraftKings Sportsbook.
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