Jan Błachowicz will remain on the UFC Belgrade card on August 1, in the Belgrade Arena in Serbia. The former champion was without an opponent after Bogdan Guskov took the opportunity to fight a week earlier during the main event in Abu Dhabi.
The Polish fan favorite takes on Navajo Stirling in the co-main event in Belgrade. The undefeated New Zealander takes the fight on two weeks’ notice. Błachowicz is currently ranked number four in the official UFC media rankings but remains unranked in the UFC Meta rankings. Conversely, Stirling is unranked in the media rankings but holds the number twelve spot in the Meta rankings.
One Last Run For Błachowicz
Jan Błachowicz is one of the most recognizable and popular fighters in the UFC light-heavyweight division. The former champion is 43 years old and has been in the UFC for almost twelve years. Błachowicz had one of the roughest starts in the UFC, with only two wins in his first six fights. In 2017, the Polish fighter fought to remain in the UFC when he took on Devin Clark at home in Poland. Błachowicz won in the second round by submission. That was the moment when everything started to click for the Polish fighter. Błachowicz won four fights in a row and fought in 2019 his first main event for the UFC against Thiago Santos. Błachowicz lost but bounced back with big wins over Luke Rockhold, Ronaldo Souza, and Corey Anderson. Those wins earned him a shot at the vacant title in 2020 against Dominick Reyes.
Błachowicz beat Reyes via TKO in the second round, claiming the light-heavyweight title. The Polish fighter defended the belt in dominant fashion against Israel Adesanya but lost in his second title defense against veteran Glover Teixeira. Błachowicz managed to win his fight after the loss and got a new opportunity at the vacant title against Magomed Ankalaev. After five rounds, the fight ended in a draw. No rematch was given to either. The Polish fighter then went on a two-fight losing streak and tried to end it last December when he took on Bogdan Guskov. Błachowicz and Guskov fought each other to a draw. The UFC planned the rematch for UFC Belgrade, but as mentioned earlier, Guskov took a short-notice opportunity in Abu Dhabi. Błachowicz now takes on Navajo Stirling and hopes to win his first fight since 2022.
An Opportunity Of A Lifetime
For Stirling, the fight against Błachowicz is a massive opportunity to get into the top 5 of the UFC light-heavyweight division. The 28-year-old City Kickboxing fighter is still undefeated in his professional career. After winning the vacant HEX Fight Series title in 2024, Stirling got invited to participate in the Contender Series, trying to win a UFC contract. Stirling knocked out Phil Latu and was rewarded with a UFC deal. The New Zealander debuted in December 2024 in the UFC against Tuco Tokkos. Stirling won after three rounds via unanimous decision.
In 2025, Stirling kept on going with unanimous decision victories over both Ivan Erslan and Rodolfo Bellato. Stirling kept winning but drew some criticism from fans for not finishing his fights. That first UFC finish came earlier this year. In the second round of his fight against Bruno Lopes, he stopped the Brazilian with elbows. In his most recent fight last month, Stirling overcame adversity early in the fight against Ion Cuțelaba. Stirling finished the fight in the second round by TKO. Now he steps up to take on Jan Błachowicz. A massive opportunity on short notice.
UFC Belgrade – August 1 (Belgrade Arena)
- Uroš Medić vs. Daniel Rodriguez
- Jan Błachowicz vs. Navajo Stirling
- Aleksandar Rakić vs. Marcin Tybura
- Ľudovít Klein vs. Tofiq Musayev
- Mateusz Rębecki vs. Kyle Prepolec
- Duško Todorović vs. Robert Valentin
- Bogdan Grad vs. Dennis Buzukja
- Oban Elliott vs. Michael Oliveira
- Mark Vologdin vs. Josias Musasa
- Jovan Leka vs. Max Gimenis
- Vlasto Čepo vs. Gilbert Urbina
- Miloš Janičić vs. Noah Gugnon
- Marina Spasić vs. Stephanie Luciano
- Nina Milošević vs. Hailey Cowan
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