Undefeated Navajo Stirling steps in to face Jan Blachowicz at UFC Belgrade co-main event

Undefeated prospect Navajo Stirling will face former UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz in the co-main event of UFC Belgrade at the Belgrade Arena on August 1, the promotion announced on Thursday.

Stirling steps in after Bogdan Guskov was pulled from the bout earlier this week to replace Khalil Rountree in the main event of UFC Abu Dhabi. The reshuffle leaves Blachowicz facing his first unranked opponent since his 2018 bout with Nikita Krylov.

Stirling (10-0) arrives on the back of five consecutive UFC victories, most recently finishing Ion Cutelaba in the second round at UFC Vegas 119. The City Kickboxing product has yet to taste defeat as a professional, making him one of the more intriguing rising names in the light heavyweight division.

Blachowicz (29-11-2) is a former UFC and KSW light heavyweight champion, but the 43-year-old Pole is enduring the worst stretch of his career. He has gone winless across his last four bouts, with his most recent outing — a majority draw against Guskov at UFC 323 in December — doing little to arrest the slide.

The matchup presents a sharp contrast in trajectories: a decorated veteran searching for a performance to revive his standing against a hungry, unbeaten contender looking to announce himself at the highest level. For Stirling, a win over a former champion would represent the most significant result of his career to date; for Blachowicz, a loss to an unranked fighter would deepen questions about whether he can remain competitive at the top of the division.

UFC Belgrade is headlined by a welterweight contest between Uros Medic and Daniel Rodriguez.