Stirling Favored To Stop Blachowicz At UFC Belgrade

Jan Blachowicz enters UFC Belgrade as a heavy underdog against Navajo Stirling when the promotion lands in Serbia for the first time on August 1.

The former heavyweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">light heavyweight champion opened at plus-255 against the City Kickboxing striker, who closed at minus-350, according to MMA Mania's odds breakdown. Blachowicz has not won a fight since May 2022, posting two draws and two narrow decision losses in his last four outings. At 43, the Polish veteran remains durable and technically sound on the outside but continues to battle gas tank issues that have defined his late-career slide.

Stirling's Volume Edge Against Aging Blachowicz

Stirling brings a five-fight UFC win streak into the Belgrade Arena matchup and holds significant advantages in speed and pace. The New Zealand-based fighter landed 204 total strikes in his March stoppage of Bruno Lopes, showcasing the relentless output that has carried him through the heavyweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">light heavyweight ranks. "He's going to have a significant edge in speed, and he just sets a much higher pace than the Polish veteran," MMA Mania's Andrew Richardson wrote in his technical breakdown.

Blachowicz's best path to victory runs through an early knockout. His wrestling success against Israel Adesanya in 2021 no longer appears viable given his diminished conditioning, and his draw with Bogdan Guskov last time out raised questions about where he sits against legitimate contenders. Unless the veteran lands clean early, expect Stirling to pull away on volume after a competitive opening frame.

UFC Belgrade airs Saturday from Belgrade Arena, with the Blachowicz-Stirling bout on the main card ahead of Uros Medic versus Daniel Rodriguez in the evening's featured attraction.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — UFC Belgrade main card odds, breakdowns and predictions | X-Factor