Predicting UFC Fight Night Medic vs Rordriguez

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen

Sportz Nation - 7/31/2026

In our FN Du Plessis v Usman Predictions, which you can find here,

Zak went 5-1 in picks with 0 methods for 5 points.

Matt went 4-2 in picks with 3 methods for 7 points.

Points To Date:

Zak: 142 (96-52)

Matt: 128 (83-59)

*All odds courtesy of Caesar's Sportsbook on 7/23

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14Uros Medic vs

15Daniel Rodriguez

(Medic -400)

Zak Drapeau -

I realize Medic is the heavy favorite here and as of writing this first line I haven't made up my mind on who I'm picking yet but I will say the D-Rod is disrespected at 4-1 underdog. Medic has been on a tear as of late and was one errant punch by Punahele Soriano 3 years ago from being on a 5-fight knockout streak. D-Rod on the other hand has 3 very impressive wins over seasoned veterans of the cage to his name as well.

D-Rod has intelligent boxing and a good ability to stay out of range of his opponents, especially when he has a 3" reach advantage as he does in this one, As for his opponent, Medic is one of the best examples of living and dying by his sword; going nuts in the first few minutes of the fight. For the first time in his career he'll be in a 5-fight main event and we'll really see if his power is still there deep in the fight because I don't think Rodriguez goes down easy. Either way someone is going down in the 3rd I'd say, and WHY NOT... Let's make my upset of the week a juicy one.

Prediction: Rodriguez by TKO

Matt Hylen -

This may not be a main event with the biggest names, but I expect this fight to be extremely entertaining. Both Uroš Medic and Daniel Rodriguez are heavy hitting Welterweights ready to knock somebody out at any moment. They have both been on a tear recently, with a win tonight likely getting them a fight in the top-10 next.

Starting with Medic, he should absolutely be the favorite in this fight. This guy does not waste any time in the octagon; he understands the otherworldly power he possesses and utilizes it as soon as he possibly can. He is one of those fighters that will finish his opponent early or get finished himself. With that said, he typically will get finished against grappling heavy opponents, which Rodriguez is not. I expect Medic to put on a show, win or lose.

His opponent, however, is getting a but underrated in my opinion. Sure, he has spent the last eight months in a prison in Mexico, but Daniel Rodriguez is a talented striker with heavy hands. He is coming off a great win against Kevin Holland, but that was more than a year ago now. It is going to be very interesting to see what version of D-Rod we get, considering the journey he has been on the past year.

When its all set and done, Medic should win this fight. His hands are quicker and more powerful and he has the home crowd on his side. D-Rod is no slouch, but the run Medic is on currently cannot be ignored.

Prediction: Medic by TKO/KO

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4Jan Blachowicz vs

Navajo Stirling 

(Stirling -320)

Zak Drapeau -

The changes to the Light Heavyweight fights over the past few weeks have resulted in this very awesome fight for a deserving up and comer like Navajo Stirling to fight a #4 contender, even if that contender really shouldn't be Top-5 anymore.

On 2 weeks notice, Navajo Stirling is fighting the former 205-Champ Blachowicz in one of the best Fight Night Co-Mains we've seen all year. Stirling will be gunning for a knockout after two straight in his last UFC fights including Cutelaba just a month ago. Blachowicz on the other hand is a wily veteran who has 2 draws and 0 wins in over 4 years. Don't count Polish Power out though, Blachowicz has an extremely well-rounded game and a ton of experience and could have an insane wrestling advantage in this one which we've seen him take advantage of in high stakes fights against Pereira and Adesanya in the past. Don't be surprised if Jan is winning this fight deep into the 2nd or 3rd round before Stirling pops him and finishes the job in spectacular fashion.

Prediction: Stirling by TKO

Matt Hylen -

In what will be Jan Błachowicz’s retirement fight, I think this co main could be super fun. Both Błachowicz and Navajo Stirling love to keep the fight on the feet, but are very technical and calculated in their combinations. 

This is a massive step up in competition for Stirling. He has not really faced anyone like Błachowicz before. Yes, Błachowicz is 42 now, but he is still very dangerous on the feet and can pick you apart until you crumble. I honestly think this is a nightmare matchup for Stirling and will really expose whether or not he is ready for the big show. That being said, Stirling is much bigger physically than Błachowicz, which he can use to his advantage by keeping the distance.

Overall, I think this fight will be extremely technical but lean toward the side of Błachowicz. Błachowicz will want to go out with a bang, so with a full training camp I envision his experience to overwhelm the young prospect in Stirling.

Prediction: Błachowicz by Decision

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13Aleksandar Rakic vs

12Marcin Tybura 

(Rakic -360)

Zak Drapeau -

Okay here's the thing, I hate to mark on anyone in the UFC because they're all gladiators who deserve the upmost respect in my books, but Marcin Tybura is just not that guy. Could he take advantage of Rakic's year-long layoff and his new weight class change; Ya I suppose he could, or he could get out classed in striking... again.

Rakic is a curious prediction because he's lost 4 in a row but to extremely high level Light Heavyweights. He is a very dangerous kickboxer who had a lot of power before he made the jump to Heavyweight. Likely coming into this fight withut bhaving to cut weight around 240 pounds, I absolutely expect him to not only put on a striking clinic but to do so in such a way that it will be very hard for the UFC not to throw him into the Heavyweight's already exciting Top-15.

Prediction: Rakic by Decision

Matt Hylen -

Alexsandar Rakić is making his Heavyweight debut against one of the biggest gatekeepers in the UFC in Marcin Tybura. Both Tybura and Rakić have been either very good or very bad, but more of the ladder in recent years. Both are older guys who know whose prime is behind them, so of course this fight will be a barn burner.

I think Rakić holds the bigger advantage in this fight. Tybura is pretty short for Heavyweight with Rakić having been tall for Light Heavyweight; the fact Rakić still holds that advantage will be huge for him. Rakić is at his best when he is on the front foot, and luckily for him, Tybura never starts fights on the front foot. I think Rakić has a chance to reinvent himself at this new division, especially since I believe Tybura isn’t worthy of a ranking at this point in his career.

Prediction: Rakić by TKO/KO

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Ludvoit Klein vs

Tofiq Musayev 

(Klein -250)

Zak Drapeau -

Ludvoit Klein is younger, bigger, more experienced and has some of the best takedown defense in the division if the fight goes there. His opponent Tofiq Musayev is a traditional Chinese, (Sanshou) striker who was highly effective in lower promotions and coming off a very impressive FOTN win against Bahamondes. I'm not sure if that tale of the tape necessarily paints Klein as a -250 favorite but it definitely tells me we're in for a very important fight on the cusp of the Lightweights' Top-15.

This should be a good ol' scrap between two guys who know how to throw a punch and take one. To be truthful, I think Musayev is one of the most pinpoint strikers in the division when he's not threatened with takedowns constantly and I don't believe Klein will be too stingy but he should mix his levels if nothing else but to earn points. This fight will probably go to the cards where anything could happen but if Klein is able to add a few takedowns and control time, he could walk away in a split decision and maybe even a $50,000 check.

Prediction: Klein by Decision

Matt Hylen -

Ľudovít Klein is back inside the octagon and I don’t think a better opponent could have been chosen. Tofiq Musayev is an absolute beast that I feel can really bring the fight to Klein if he is on top of his game. Musayev is coming off a huge upset win against Ignacio Bahamondes his last time out, showcasing his striking and devastating ground and pound ability.

For Klein, he has been a bit of a decision machine as of late, but you cannot deny the balanced style he possesses. He is a boxer by trade, but can mix it up in a variety of ways if he has to. Since Musayev is so dangerous everywhere, I expect faints and jabs to be what Klein gameplans.

Though the logical decision is to lean with Klein winning this fight, I really like the game of Tofiq Musayev. He showed a lot in that fight against Bahamondes; his striking and ability to wear opponents down is something I think could take him pretty far in this division. He seems to come back better with each loss he suffers, but came back in a different way after that loss to Myktybek Orolbai. I think his style and balanced nature can get the job done against Klein and make him one of the division’s top unranked contenders.

Prediction: Musayev by Decision

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Oban Elliot vs

Michael Oliveira

(Oliveira -370)

Zak Drapeau -

This is a lowkey fight on the card but one that may be extremely important when looking back 5 years from now because if my research has done me right, this Michael Oliveira kid could be the truth! Oliveira has an extremely high-level kickboxing and muay thai background as well as an 8-year service in the Brazilian army.

His opponent Oban Elliot is absolutely no joke and even though he's on a 2-fight skid, was rising up the Welterweight ranks beforehand. His blend of striking and wrestling is very dangerous but Oliveira's ability to stay up and inflict damage will be too strong for him. This is going to be one of those fights where one guy out-strikes the other something like 80-20 then ends the fight in a flurry somewhere in the 2nd round.

Prediction: Oliveira by TKO

Matt Hylen -

This fight is pretty straight forward to me. Michael Oliveira is an animal; his win on Dana White’s Contender Series was insane, but he also was dominant in LFA. The guy’s power is almost Carlos Pratas level in my opinion, he just hasn’t perfected it yet like Pratas. He is young, he is hungry, and I think he ends this fight early.

On the other hand, Oban Elliot is a fine fighter, but not close to the talent of Oliveira. He is coming off a submission loss his last time out, showing nothing to write home about in that fight. Elliot is one of those guys who will hang around in the UFC for way longer than he should because he will either beat horrible fighters or lose to prospects. I think he unfortunately is completely outmatched in this matchup and will extend his losing streak to three.

Prediction: Oliveira by TKO/KO

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Dennis Buzukja vs

Bogdan Grad 

(Grad -210)

Zak Drapeau -

Bogdan Grad was an interesting prospect when he got into the UFC 2 years ago but his two recent fights against top prospects like Riley and Naimov have somewhat soured his reputation. Truthfully this fight against Dennis Buzukja should be more of a tune-up fight for him that gets the 30-year old back on track.

Buzukja's 1-4 record in the UFC makes this fight a "do or die" fight for him and stylistically, it should be the latter. Grad is continuously getting better in striking and already a very good wrestler who should showcase both abilities in this fight. This fight isn't exactly up to the "standards" of the fights we discuiss in these predictions articles ut I wanted to include it for all my bettors out there. I realize he is more than a 2-1 favorite already, but this fight could've easily been 3 or 4-1 in his favor and should be taken advantage of especially when you see he's +150 by decision.

Prediction: Grad by Decision

Matt Hylen -

This fight between Bodgan Grad and Dennis Buzukja is not the highest level fight. Yet, styles make fights, and the style of these two could make for some entertaining action.

Starting with Grad, he is coming off a brutal TKO loss to Luke Riley. While it isn’t the worst loss in the world, Grad cannot seem to take that leap forward and progress his career. He does possess some solid striking and movement on the feet, but is quite chinny and poor defensively. As for Buzukja, I just do not see anything about his style that stands out. He just got knocked into a different dimension against Marcio Barbosa, yet is still in the UFC after losing four of his first five fights in the UFC. 

I am going to have to go with Grad in this one. Buzukja hasn’t shown me anything to make me believe he will stay in the UFC for long. At least Grad has a dominant win in the UFC but has also shown flashes in his losses. Grad’s career in the UFC looks redeemable, while Buzukja’s is likely going to end after this fight.

Prediction: Grad by Decision

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