Jan Blachowicz and Navajo Stirling meet in the UFC Fight Night 283 co-feature Saturday at Belgrade Arena in Serbia. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.
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Last event’s results: 4-1
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UFC main cards, 2026: 79-42-1
Jan Blachowicz vs. Navajo Stirling UFC Fight Night 283 preview
Blachowicz (29-11-2 MMA, 12-8-2 UFC) is hunting for his first win since May 2022, which came against Aleksandar Rakic. Since then, the former champion has recorded two losses and two draws. His last fight was a majority draw against Bogdan Guskov at UFC 323 in December.
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Stirling (10-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) puts his undefeated record on the line against a former titleholder in his third fight of the year. He has finished his last two opponents, stopping Bruno Lopes and Ion Cutelaba both in the second round in March and June, respectively.
Jan Blachowicz vs. Navajo Stirling UFC Fight Night 283 expert pick, prediction
The co-main event on Paramount+ features an impromptu meeting at 205 pounds between Jan Blachowicz and Navajo Stirling.
As someone who covers top UFC matchups, the words that are used the most in my vocabulary are “impromptu” and “rematch.”
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In this case, Blachowicz, who was initially slated for a senseless rematch with Bogdan Guskov, will now meet Stirling in an impromptu affair so that the UFC can keep its machine going. But I digress.
Although I still respect Blachowicz as a live underdog, it’s hard to know where exactly the 43-year-old is at with only one official win (by way of injury) in the last half-decade. The former light heavyweight champion has enough of his underrated striking defense to stymie large parts of his opponent’s game, but his offense has appeared much less potent in recent years.
Even if Stirling has to be careful about pacing if this fight extends, I suspect that the 28-year-old has enough gas in the tank to go three frames, even if he has to wrestle (which I believe he will).
It might not be pretty if he’s unable to finish, but I’ll officially side with Stirling to strike and grapple his way to the scorecards for a decision win.
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Jan Blachowicz vs. Navajo Stirling UFC Fight Night 283 odds
The oddsmakers and the public favor the younger fighter, listing Stirling -335 and Blachowicz +270 via FanDuel.
Jan Blachowicz vs. Navajo Stirling UFC Fight Night 283 start time, how to watch
Blachowicz and Stirling are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 3:10 p.m. ET. The fight streams live on Paramount+.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Jan Blachowicz vs. Navajo Stirling prediction, pick for UFC Fight Night 283
