UFC Fight Night: Dusko Todorovic vs Robert Valentin Preview & Prediction
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A European match up on the main card sees hometown veteran Dusko Todorovic against submission specialist Robert Valentin.
Dusko Todorovic vs Robert Valentin facts
What time are Dusko Todorovic and Robert Valentin 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)
Dusko Todorovic: “Thunder” fights in his own city for the first time
Dusko Todorovic (13-6) walks out in Belgrade on the first UFC card ever staged in Serbia, and he arrives in better shape than a 4-6 promotional record suggests. His most recent outing was a first-round rear-naked choke over Jose Medina last September, a reminder that Dusko has more in the locker than heavy hands, though Medina has been cut since. He’s an aggressive pressure fighter with a shoot boxing foundation, strong in the clinch, and punishing with ground and pound once he establishes top control. The defensive flaws are there however, he leaves his chin available and retreats in straight lines rather than angling off.
Robert Valentin: “Robzilla” finally breaks his octagon misfortune
Robert Valentin (11-6, 1NC) finally landed his first UFC win in April, choking out Julien Leblanc inside a round to move to 1-3 in the promotion. The 31-year-old is a judo brown belt and the majority of his career victories have come by submission. On the feet he’s awkward to prepare for, mixing in some spinning attacks, few flying knees and long kicks from either stance. His defensive wrestling is the weak link, strong top-control wrestlers have kept him under for long periods of time.
Dusko Todorovic vs Robert Valentin prediction
On the TUF 32 finale, Valentin took Ryan Loder’s back inside the opening round and nearly had a rear naked choke, and for a moment it looked over. However, Loder survived, and from there the former all-American wrestler simply imposed his wrestling, trapping Valentin on bottom and battered him with ground and pound till the ref stepped in. The blueprint to beat him is out there, and Todorovic is good at exactly that.
Both men are good grapplers, but they’re good in different ways. Valentin is the more dangerous man on the floor, hunting submissions off scrambles. Todorovic is the better wrestler and by some distance the more damaging one once he’s on top. Todorovic has never been submitted in the UFC, and that’s where Valentin’s best work lives. Having said that though, Todorovic hasn’t really faced any submission artists in the division.
There’s an experience gap too. Todorovic’s octagon wins have come against weaker opposition, but his losses, which he still learns from, have come against above average competition – Gregory Rodrigues, Chidi Njokuani, Christian Leroy Duncan, Mansur Abdul-Malik, and Zach Reese. He’s been in there with way more higher level UFC fighters, which is why I don’t think he should be seen as the underdog here.
Prediction: Dusko Todorovic to win
