For the last five years, Vlaso Čepo has been a main card mainstay for the Czech-Slovak-based organization Oktagon. It’s one of the premier fighting destinations in Europe. Now, due to a combination of his fan-friendly style and the UFC coming to his home country of Serbia, Čepo has gotten the call to debut on the big stage this Sunday. This will take place on the main card of UFC: Belgrade.
While never having faced the best of the best in the European regional scene, Čepo enters the UFC boasting a very respectable 14-3 record in the middleweight division. He has most recently dispatched Ehran Kartal and Daniel Schwindt, both via first-round knockout with his dangerous right hook. Furthermore, his level of competition, while not stellar, is much stronger than most UFC debutants these days. He has boxed UFC veteran Hector Lombard. In addition, he has fought for the Oktagon interim Middleweight Championship.
The Upside:
The nickname “El Chapo” is one that Čepo has truly earned, as he is a ruthless killer in the cage. Every single one of his victories, including three exhibition bouts under the Oktagon banner, has been via finish. This is even more notable considering he is not crushing cans. Especially in the early rounds and when he smells blood, he throws extensive flurries of hooks that overwhelm and melt his opponents. While his offensive grappling is solid, he mainly wants to walk his opponents down and get into firefights. He trusts his chin to hold up and his power to lead him to victory. His instincts are to find the finish and to send the fans home happy. The UFC could use more of these fighters these days, if last weekend’s main event is anything to go by.
The Downside:
To put it bluntly, his offense doesn’t have much variation; he wants to get into the pocket and throw powerful hooks and uppercuts. The former Oktagon crowd favorite can finish his opponents on the ground by simple choke or ground and pound, but he is no mat wizard. He can be sloppy and overeager at times, leaving his chin up there for the taking as he looks for the finish. In addition, he is very susceptible to being controlled on the cage. He tends to club and elbow his opponents’ heads rather than fight their hands. This tendency will lead to takedowns against UFC-caliber opponents. I’d put the odds of him getting submitted in his UFC career at -950.
I still believe, though, despite his faults, that the Serbian powerhouse has enough physical talent to rack up wins. His exciting fight style will undoubtedly gain him fans. It will also allow him to make waves in the UFC’s shallow middleweight division. Ten years from now, when someone says the name Vlasto Čepo, people will likely respond with “Oh man, that guy was very fun to watch”. I can see him being the middleweight version of Ion Cutelaba. He might hover just outside the rankings and put on fun fights on main cards for years to come.
His Debut Matchup:
In his home country debut, Vlasto Čepo has been tasked with facing UFC punching bag Gilbert Urbina (7-4). In what I think is a rather desperate move to save his UFC career, Urbina will be coming back up to middleweight for the first time since he lost in The Ultimate Fighter finale in 2021. While I don’t love being in the business of disrespecting fighters, it is very clear what the UFC wants to happen in this matchup.
Čepo at his best is a knockout artist, and Urbina is a small middleweight coming off of two straight knockout losses. Unless Urbina has suddenly developed a dominant grappling game, I think this is a perfect recipe for a crowd-pleasing bout. I expect Čepo to walk him down, get taken down, muscle his way back up, and catch Urbina early. Once he clips him, he will follow up with a signature blitz that will finish “The RGV Bad Boy.” This will give Vlasto a highlight-reel start to his UFC career.
