A number of fighters are set to make their promotional debuts this weekend at UFC Belgrade, and Serbian bantamweight Borislav Nikolić is sure to generate a significant pop from the crowd when he enters the cage to meet Mark Vologdin.
Boasting a 16-2 record, Nikolić began his professional MMA career with nine-straight victories before he was submitted by Brad Katona in the latter fighter’s first outing after his initial run with the UFC came to an end.
That loss to Katona also served as Nikolić’s debut with BRAVE CF, and the Serbian eventually went on to win and defend the promotion’s bantamweight belt as part of an impressive six-fight win streak that’s seen him best several notable names and finish every opponent he’s faced.
Although he’s also a threat to end things via submission, Nikolić is at his best when he has the opportunity to stand and trade strikes with his opponents. The Serbian mainly relies on his hands, but he’ll also punish the lead leg with hard outside low kicks and occasionally throw his rear leg up high as well.
Nikolić typically keeps his hands low and has a hard, snappy jab that opponents struggle to deal with because it’s often thrown nearly from his hip. He’ll also mix his jab up to the body as well and likes to use a lead left hook as a counter shot or start swinging it wide to the body when he has someone on the retreat.
“Zombee” has fight-ending power in his right hand and is able to catch his opposition off guard because he doesn’t usually throw it as a straight shot (unless it’s a superman punch). Instead, Nikolić prefers to load up on massive uppercuts or try to connect with a wide, looping punch that often looks like it’s somewhere between a hook and an overhand.
The 33-year-old can sometimes be guilty of throwing his power shots as single, telegraphed strikes with no setup, but he’s at his most dangerous when he can connect with his jab and then follow up with a bigger punch from an awkward angle. He also tends to open up and mix things up more when he’s able to keep an opponent on the back foot, ideally forcing them to the fence as he dictates the pace of the action.
Nikolić is susceptible to being taken down but is always active on the bottom and will look to return to his feet as quickly as possible. Opponents that try taking him down also need to be wary of the Serbian’s submission game, as he’ll quickly look to lock up a guillotine choke and also finished Nicholas Hwende with a nasty ninja choke to win the BRAVE CF bantamweight belt.
At 33 years old, Nikolić is certainly a bit older than most fighters the UFC has elected to bring in over the last few years. He’s a clear beneficiary of the promotion’s desire to make a big splash in Serbia, but I think that he’s also going to endear himself to UFC fans with his all-action style.
The matchup with Vologdin promises to be a violent affair and could very well take home “Fight of the Night” honors at UFC Belgrade. Both men are very capable of ending things via finish, but they’re also both extremely durable and may just end up slugging it out for three rounds in a fight that I think Nikolić has a good chance of winning if he’s able to stay off of his back.
