Aleksandar Rakic and Marcin Tybura meet on the UFC Fight Night 283 main card Saturday at Belgrade Arena in Serbia. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.
Aleksandar Rakic vs. Marcin Tybura UFC Fight Night 283 preview
Rakic (14-6 MMA, 6-5 UFC) aims to end the roughest stretch of his pro career, as he comes in on a four-fight skid. Three former champions have handed him losses on this unfortunate streak, including Jan Blachowicz, Jiri Prochazka, and Magomed Ankalaev. Rakic's last win was a unanimous decision over Thiago Santos at UFC 259 in March 2021.
Tybura (27-11 MMA, 14-10 UFC) is also in need of a win after dropping back-to-back fights against Ante Delija and Tyrell Fortune. His last win was a unanimous nod against Mick Parkin last March.
Aleksandar Rakic vs. Marcin Tybura UFC Fight Night 283 expert pick, prediction
Filling out the main card is a heavyweight fight between Marcin Tybura and Aleksandar Rakic.
Despite being big enough to be in this division his whole career, this will be Rakic's debut fight at heavyweight. Tybura, on the other hand, has been a staple of the weight class for some time.
I've always respected Tybura's ability to play spoiler, but those opportunities have seemed fewer and farther between as the Polish fighter has aged. Add in the fact that Tybura seems even less potent than before, and I have a hard time seeing him stun or stymie Rakic enough to force a panic and open up his necessary win conditions.
For that reason, I'll side with Rakic to win a clear but conservative decision with range striking and wrestling.
Aleksandar Rakic vs. Marcin Tybura UFC Fight Night 283 odds
The oddsmakers and the public heavily favor the Austrian fighter, listing Rakic -390 and Tybura +310 via FanDuel.
Aleksandar Rakic vs. Marcin Tybura UFC Fight Night 283 start time, how to watch
Rakic and Tybura are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 2:40 p.m. ET. The fight streams live on Paramount+.
