HOUSTON, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 21: Uros Medic of Serbia warms up prior to his fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Toyota Center on February 21, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC) Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is just one day away from the upcoming UFC Belgrade mixed martial arts (MMA) event, set to go down tomorrow night (Sat., Aug. 1, 2026) on Paramount+ from inside Belgrade Arena in Belgrade, Serbia. UFC Belgrade features a welterweight main event between local hero Uros Medic and international jailbird Daniel Rodriguez, a five-round showdown with possible title implications for late 2026 and beyond. Before we dive into the main and co-main event, which includes the short-notice light heavyweight contest between Jan Błachowicz and Navajo Stirling, check out Andrew Richardson’s “X-Factor” breakdown for the rest of the UFC Belgrade main card by clicking here. Get all the latest “Medic vs. Rodriguez” odds and betting props courtesy of FanDuel right here. For UFC Belgrade live results for this weekend’s Paramount+ fight card in Serbia click here. 170 lbs.: Uros Medic vs. Daniel Rodriguez Uros “The Doctor” Medic Record: 13-3 | Age: 33 | Betting line: -395 Wins: 11 KO/TKO, 2 SUB, 0 DEC | Losses: 1 KO/TKO, 2 SUB, 0 DEC Height: 6’1” | Reach: 71” | Stance: Southpaw Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 5.59 | Striking accuracy: 60% Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 3.42 | Striking Defense: 56% Takedown Average: 0.34 (50% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 55% Current Ranking: No. 14 | Last fight: Knockout win over Geoff Neal Daniel “D-Rod” Rodriguez Record: 20-5 | Age: 39 | Betting line: +310 Wins: 9 KO/TKO, 4 SUB, 7 DEC | Losses: 1 KO/TKO, 1 SUB, 3 DEC Height: 6’1“ | Reach: 74” | Stance: Southpaw Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 7.20 | Striking accuracy: 49% Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 5.40 | Striking Defense: 57% Takedown Average: 0.51 (50% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 64% Current Ranking: No. 13 | Last fight: Unanimous decision win over Kevin Holland Uros Medic and Daniel Rodriguez are both ranked in the bottom half of the Top 15, but who’s on top depends on your allegiance to the Meta or Media rankings. Either way, this appears to be a matchup of a fighter on his way up (Medic) versus a fighter on his way down (Rodriguez). Medic is no spring chicken at 33, but he’s finally hitting his stride after graduating Dana White’s “Contender Series” back in 2020. His last four victories have all ended by way of first-round knockout and Medic has secured finishes in all 13 of his wins. That kind of violent offense — good enough for three post-fight performance bonuses — usually works in both directions and “The Medic” has also been stopped in all three losses. Not only does he have an extremely high output for significant strikes per minute, he’s also way above average in accuracy. Unfortunately, he’s also susceptible to the takedown. “We have a five-round fight in front of us, in front of the home crowd, after nine years of not being home, so you can imagine the pressure,” Medic told UFC.com. “I don’t know if title fights get that much pressure. For nine years not to be home, and then go home, bring the UFC home, and perform on the main event is definitely a story to be told. It’s gonna be a little emotional. It’s normal — we’re all emotional beings — and I’m not gonna try to shy away from it, I’m gonna embrace it. It’s a big moment for myself, my family, my friends, my whole country. I’m gonna try to enjoy it. I’m gonna try to perform at the best possible performance I’ve ever had to have the people of Serbia, and the rest of the world see that I can do better.” “Daniel Rodriguez has been here for a long time, has an incredible career with 20 wins with only five losses; that’s a really incredible (record),” Medic added. “He’s fought some of the bigger names like Ian Garry, like Kevin Holland, like Santiago Ponzinibbio. It’s a real challenge for me because I know that he’s a tough fighter and it’s not gonna be a walk in the park. I will be ready for five, 25, 105 minutes — I don’t care. I’m here. I’m ready. This is what I asked for and I’m not afraid of things I’ve prayed for. I prayed for them, they’re coming my way, and now it’s all coming to light. My goal is always the same: deliver a masterful performance and make my way forward in the division, making my way up towards the Top 10, Top 5.” Daniel Rodriguez has not competed for over a year thanks to his vacation in Mexican prison but departed UFC (and USA) on the strength of a three-fight winning streak. Those victories helped quiet talk of his career being done following three straight losses — all finishes — though it helped that he was fighting the bottom of the welterweight barrel. “D-Rod” has serviceable striking and prefers to box but he’s also no slouch on the ground, having honed his ground skills at 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu. That’s probably his best weapon against Medic, assuming he can absorb incoming fire long enough to get this fight to the floor. I think his temperament will be a big factor in Belgrade because he’ll need to find a way to tune out an entire arena cheering for Medic, the hometown hero. “Getting released from prison, I thought I was in shape until I started doing some of the stuff you normally do during training,” Rodriguez told MMA Junkie. “It was definitely a process getting my body back to being able to perform at an elite level. It was all part of the process. I just had to trust the process and embrace the journey. I believed in the work I had ahead of me. I was a little discouraged at first. But with a situation like this, headlining a UFC event, made me realize this was real. I’m very grateful to still be able to do this because there was a moment in time where I didn’t think I was going to be able to continue my career. Now that I’m able to, it definitely brings it to a new light in my life.” “I can say the difference in this fight camp is I’ve been a lot more dedicated and focused than my other fight camps,” Rodriguez added. “I’ve just been really playing this one out right and show up to practice every single day, show up to the gym every single day. I’ve barely taken days off, only when the coaches made me take days off. Even when they did, I would still go for a long-ass run or still do my own thing. Getting out [of prison] and the story blowing up like it did and the UFC giving me a new contract and this opportunity and a tough opponent, it definitely made me rise to the occasion and embrace it in this moment. It’s an amazing story. I feel like it’s definitely a story that needs to be in a movie.” Rodriguez performs well against mid-card competition and lower-ranked fighters, but every time matchmakers give him a step up in competition, he falters. We have to ask ourselves, is Medic now considered a step up? I think the layoff, combined with his age and deteriorating speed, puts Rodriguez at a marked disadvantage. I would also suggest Medic will be energized by the hometown crowd and come out feeling invincible. He’s not, and that’s something Rodriguez can exploit, I’m just not sure he’ll have the wherewithal to do so. Prediction: Medic def. Rodriguez by technical knockout 205 lbs.: Jan Błachowicz vs. Navajo Stirling Jan Błachowicz Record: 29-11-2 | Age: 43 | Betting line: +250 Wins: 9 KO/TKO, 9 SUB, 11 DEC | Losses: 2 KO/TKO, 2 SUB, 7 DEC Height: 6’2“ | Reach: 78” | Stance: Orthodox Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 3.55 | Striking accuracy: 50% Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 3.14 | Striking Defense: 52% Takedown Average: 0.98 (48% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 69% Current Ranking: No. 13 | Last fight: Majority draw against Bogdan Guskov Navajo Stirling Record: 10-0 | Age: 28 | Betting line: -310 Wins: 6 KO/TKO, 0 SUB, 4 DEC | Losses: 0 KO/TKO, 0 SUB, 0 DEC Height: 6’4“ | Reach: 79” | Stance: Orthodox Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 6.24 | Striking accuracy: 54% Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 2.62 | Striking Defense: 58% Takedown Average: 0.86 (26% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 71% Current Ranking: No. 10 | Last fight: Technical knockout win over Ion Cutelaba Jan Błachowicz is now 43 and clearly at the tail end of his combat sports career but he remains a problem for anyone at 205 pounds, particularly strikers. The Pole took Magomed Ankalaev to a draw and nearly defeated Alex Pereira at UFC 291 in a fight that was much closer than “Poatan” fans will admit. Blachowicz also neutralized a prime Israel Adesanya and took Carlos Ulberg to the judges — only the second opponent to do so over the last four years. On the downside, the former UFC light heavyweight champion hasn’t secured a finish since he sent Dominick Reyes ass over teakettle back in late 2020 (I don’t count the knee injury suffered by Aleksandar Rakic at UFC Vegas 54). He nicknamed himself “Polish Power” but we haven’t seen much of that over the last few years and he also got away from his offensive wrestling. Between Adesanya, Pereira, and Jared Cannonier, Blachowicz rattled off 10 takedowns but only shot for one across his last two fights. He may need them to get past a younger, faster opponent who lands nearly twice as many significant strikes per minute. “I’m happy, still in the Top 15, still got it, still a fire inside me, so why stop now? Let’s go, let’s do it a couple more times,” Błachowicz told UFC.com. “I just love to do it. I don’t think about [stopping]. I don’t have to do it — I can quit right now, no problem, but what to do next? I’m gonna miss it, so if my body is okay, if my mind is okay, I’m gonna do it because when my body says, ‘Stop!’ I’m gonna miss this. I need this win so much; no (judges) please. I need to finish this fight before time (is up). I need it, I want it, but I know, sometimes this pressure can stop you, so I don’t want to put this pressure too much on me.” Błachowicz is 1-3-2 over the last five years with a lengthy injury layoff. “Lot of respect for [Stirling] because he’s a young, hungry guy,” Blachowicz said about his opponent. “I have to be ready for him. We do small changes, but not too much because there is not time for that, but also, he prefers fighting standup, so nothing big changes. He’s young, strong guy; good kickboxer. I’ve fought against guys like him, fought a guy from his gym, so I think I’m gonna know his style. He’s younger than me, so maybe he will be a little faster than me, maybe stronger. I don’t know; I have to feel it in the fight, but for sure, experience is on my side, and I have to use it.” Navajo Stirling is the new kid on the 205-pound block and I think we all agree that fresh blood is needed after a couple of years of recycling top contenders. We don’t yet know if Stirling is “that guy” simply because he hasn’t fought anyone ranked in the Top 15 and yet both the Meta Rankings and the Media Rankings have Stirling ranked, which is a conversation for another day. Jan Blachowicz represents a pretty good test for the 28-year-old Kiwi but a victory may come with an unofficial asterisk since the Pole is on the downside of his career and can’t seem to win a fight, regardless of his toughness. It also helps that Stirling trains with light heavyweight champion Carlos Ulberg at City Kickboxing, as “Black Jag” already holds a victory over Blachowicz from early last year. For this weekend’s co-main event, Stirling will hold advantages in both height and reach but may face a more grapple-heavy offense from the 43-year-old Blachowicz. “He’s a massive name in the UFC, former champion, I see this matchup as a huge opportunity for me to break out into the Top 15,” Stirling said about Blachowicz during this week’s UFC Belgrade media day. “Not only the Top 15, but the Top 5. I believe he’s No. 4. That’s the opportunity that has arisen; I’m willing to take it with open arms. I love to fight, man, I just love to fight. I live and breathe this. It’s just putting everything I’ve learned over the years to the test, going up against this guy. At the end of the day, it’s just a fight, and you’ve got to take it like you would any other fight.” “I’d just come off holiday mode in Japan,” Stirling told Home Of Fight. “I’m always training in the gym despite whatever I’m doing. That’s my routine. But, yeah, just come off a massive bender and just rolled into the weeks and got offered a fight. I just said, ‘Yeah, bro, I’m keen. I’m training everyday.’ So, just got to utilize my youth. I just came off the best camp of my life, so why wouldn’t I take it? I thought I was going to be the betting underdog. Maybe I gotta post my clips from Japan getting on the bender, maybe the lines will shoot the other way.” Błachowicz is getting no respect on the betting lines which surprises me when you consider his track record against the best fighters in the world. In addition, Stirling is just 10 fights into his MMA journey and hasn’t proven himself against anyone of merit, so I’m going to side with the former champion, who made a career out of shutting down flashy strikers like Stirling. Prediction: Blachowicz def. Stirling by unanimous decision Be sure to check out the rest of the UFC Belgrade main card predictions RIGHT HERE.