UFC Fight Night: Borislav Nikolic vs Mark Vologdin Preview & Prediction
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A short notice bantamweight scrap on the Belgrade prelims sees Russian Mark Vologdin welcome hometown favourite Borislav Nikolic to the octagon.
Borislav Nikolic vs Mark Vologdin facts
What time are Borislav Nikolic vs Mark Vologdin expected to walk out?
Where is UFC Fight Night: Medic vs Rodriguez? Belgrade Arena, Belgrade, Serbia
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night: Medic vs Rodriguez? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC Fight Night 283
What TV channel is UFC Fight Night: Medic vs Rodriguez on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – Paramount
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night: Medic vs Rodriguez? UK – TNT Sports can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and HBO Max / USA – Paramount+ & UFC Fight Pass
UFC Fight Night: Medic vs Rodriguez main card
Uros Medic vs Daniel Rodriguez (Welterweight)
Jan Blachowicz vs Navajo Stirling (Light Heavyweight)
Aleksandar Rakic vs Marcin Tybura (Heavyweight)
Dusko Todorovic vs Robert Valentin (Middleweight)
Vlasto Cepo vs Gilbert Urbina (Middleweight)
Milos Janicic vs Noah Gugnon (Lightweight)
UFC Fight Night: Medic vs Rodriguez prelims
Ludovit Klein vs Tofiq Musayev (Lightweight)
Oban Elliott vs Michael Oliveira (Welterweight)
Borislav Nikolic vs Mark Vologdin (Bantamweight)
Dennis Buzukja vs Bogdan Grad (Featherweight)
Mateusz Rebecki vs Kyle Prepolec (Lightweight)
Nina Milosevic vs Hailey Cowan (Women’s Bantamweight)
Jovan Leka vs Alexander Poppeck (Heavyweight)
Marina Spasic vs Stephanie Luciano (Women’s Strawweight)
Borislav Nikolic: “Zombee” gets his shot in front of his own people
Borislav Nikolic (16-2) took this fight on roughly a week’s notice, and he couldn’t have scripted it any better, a UFC debut at 33 in front of a home crowd in Belgrade. The former Brave bantamweight Champion is riding a six-fight win streak with finishes in 15 of his 16 wins, split almost evenly between knockouts and submissions. His only losses came against Brad Katona and Gamzat Magomedov.
Mark Vologdin: Short king still chasing his first UFC win
Mark Vologdin (12-4-2) is a rare Contender Series graduate who lost but still got signed anyway. His war against Adrian Luna Martinetti was good enough that Dana White handed both men contracts and threw in the 25k bonus. He followed that with a majority draw against John Castaneda at UFC Winnipeg in April. The 26-year-old is an exciting entertainer who wings hooks and throws spinning attacks. At 5’3” he is the shortest bantamweight on the roster, and his defence can be questionable, absorbing punishment at an alarming rate.
Borislav Nikolic vs Mark Vologdin prediction
Both men walk in with something to prove and no reason to be cautious. Vologdin is still hunting his first UFC win and will be doing it in a hostile arena, and Nikolic has been handed the debut of a lifetime on a week’s notice in his own city. Expect a high pace from the opening bell.
Vologdin has been stopped once in his 18 professional fights and brings a bottomless gas tank, he was hit hard by Martinetti and still planted his feet to trade back. Castaneda outlanded him badly in the final round and still couldn’t put him away.
Nikolic, meanwhile, is a dynamic finisher. Both of his title-fight wins came in the fourth round, and the Hwende performance in particular had him absorbing three rounds of damage before finding his moment. He doesn’t recklessly blitz in for first round finishes, and taking a fight of this magnitude for him on a week’s notice against a shorter, quicker opponent should invite a “downloading data” round.
Prediction: Fight to go over 1.5 rounds
