Aleksandar RakićW vs. Marcin Tybura
UFC Fight Night · August 1, 2026 · Belgrade Arena · Main Card 1:00 PM ET
The brief
- The result
- Aleksandar Rakić by Decision (unanimous), R3
- What kind of fight
- Speed vs. grind
- Finish likelihood
- Medium
- The line
- No line posted yet
- The stakes
- Heavyweight · Main Card
The result
Aleksandar Rakić def. Marcin Tybura — Decision (unanimous), R3 5:00
On a card with twelve finishes, this was one of only two fights to see the scorecards — and it went the way the pre-fight read projected.
Rakić controlled the first round with sharper striking and more output, and though the pace dipped and Tybura landed solid shots in rounds two and three, the Austrian kept enough volume going to sweep all three cards 30-27.
The heavyweight experiment worked: Rakić's first win since 2021, ending a four-fight skid, with the feared late-fight fade never fully materializing.
The breakdown below was written before the fight.
The read
Expect Rakić to fight at range early, hammering leg kicks and using footwork to deny Tybura the fence.
His takedown defense has historically been excellent, and if it translates up a division, Tybura's main weapon gets blunted and this becomes a clean kickboxing match Rakić should control. The danger arrives in rounds two and three: if the new weight saps Rakić's gas tank, Tybura's grinding — the same formula that has won him ten UFC decisions — starts cashing in.
Rakić's path is a points win or a late leg-kick stoppage; Tybura's is making it ugly early and never letting go.
The matchup
The entire fight comes down to one question: does light heavyweight Rakić hold up physically against a true heavyweight grinder?
On paper the style edges are clear — Rakić is the faster, sharper striker with elite takedown defense, and Tybura absorbs more than he lands against athletic opposition. But Rakić has fought once in almost two years, is on a four-fight skid, and has never carried heavyweight rounds, while Tybura has made a career of exposing exactly this kind of uncertainty with clinch pressure and late-fight grappling.
Speed versus size, fresh start versus deep experience.
Tale of the tape
| 14-6 | Record | 27-11 |
| 34 | Age | 40 |
| 6'4" | Height | 6'3" |
| 78" | Reach | 78" |
| Orthodox | Stance | Orthodox |
| Austria | Country | Poland |
| American Top Team | Team | — |
The numbers
Career UFC averages. Red bar = statistical edge.
The fighters
Aleksandar Rakić 14-6
“Rocket”
Aleksandar Rakić is an Austrian kickboxer of Serbian descent, which makes Belgrade the perfect stage for the biggest reset of his career: a move up to heavyweight. Once ranked in the light heavyweight top five, the man they call 'Rocket' has hit a brutal stretch, dropping four straight against elite names — Jan Błachowicz, Jiří Procházka, Magomed Ankalaev, and Azamat Murzakanov. At his best he is a devastating leg kicker with an 86 percent takedown defense rate and real athleticism for a big man. Now fighting out of American Top Team, he is betting that carrying extra weight — and shedding the brutal cut to 205 — brings back the version that once looked like a future champion.
- LAzamat Murzakanov · TKO (punches)UFC 321 · October 25, 2025
- LMagomed Ankalaev · Decision (unanimous)UFC 308 · October 26, 2024
- LJiří Procházka · TKO (punches)UFC 300 · April 13, 2024
Marcin Tybura 27-11
“Tybur”
Marcin Tybura is one of the most experienced heavyweights on the roster — a former M-1 Global champion from Poland with nearly a decade and two dozen fights inside the Octagon. His résumé reads like a heavyweight history book: Fabricio Werdum, Derrick Lewis, Alexander Volkov, Tom Aspinall, and a submission win over Tai Tuivasa. At 40, he is fighting to stay relevant after back-to-back losses to Ante Delija and Tyrell Fortune. His formula has never changed: absorb the early storm, drag opponents into the clinch, grind them against the fence, and hunt submissions when they get tired.
- LTyrell Fortune · Decision (unanimous)UFC Fight Night: Adesanya vs. Pyfer · March 28, 2026
- LAnte Delija · KO (punches)UFC Fight Night: Imavov vs. Borralho · September 6, 2025
- WMick Parkin · Decision (unanimous)UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Brady · March 22, 2025