Alexander Poppeck (right) will make his UFC debut on Aug. 1. |
📷: PFL MMA

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The
Ultimate Fighting Championship's upcoming visit to Serbia will
see new European talent make his Octagon debut.

Alexander
Poppeck (21-5) recently signed with the UFC. The German is set
to make his promotional debut against fellow UFC debutant Jovan Leka
(13-2) at
UFC Belgrade on Aug. 1 at Belgrade Arena.

Jovan Leka brings a six-fight winning streak into UFC Belgrade
against Alexander Poppeck

While Poppeck competes at light heavyweight, he will move up to
heavyweight for his upcoming bout. Notably, the 34-year-old had
suffered a knockout loss to Jamahal
Hill on
Dana White's Contender Series back in 2019.

One of the biggest names in Oktagon
MMA, Poppeck is unbeaten in six outings (1 NC) since 2023, with
four finishes. Meanwhile, Leka will have the Serbian home crowd
rallying behind him and is on a six-fight winning streak with four
finishes.

Leka earned a win on Contender Series last year but failed to
impress UFC CEO Dana
White and the matchmakers. The 24-year-old then picked up two
finishes outside the promotion before the UFC Belgrade opportunity
came about.

Tyson Fury and Mariusz Wach face off ahead of their heavyweight
fight. | 📷: Thananuwat Srirasant/Getty

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Tyson
Fury will give up a significant size advantage when he faces
Mariusz Wach.

The former heavyweight champion weighed in at 265 pounds for the
bout in Pattaya, Thailand, while Wach came in at a hefty 291.4
pounds, marking a 26.4-pound weight difference in favor of the
Polish heavyweight.

Tyson Fury faces Mariusz Wach after surrendering his usual size
advantage

Fury acknowledged the size disparity after the weigh-in for his
fight with Wach on July 24. “The Gypsy King” highlighted that he's
working his way back to his optimum fighting weight after a lengthy
hiatus from the squared circle.

“I’ve never faced a man heavier than me,†Fury said at the weigh-in
(via Sky Sports). “I’m very happy to be fighting.
I’m not banking on any fight happening or not happening. I’m a
fighter, I want to keep busy. I’ve had one fight in over two years.
This is my second camp back-to-back after a 16-month layoff. I’m
getting sharper, fitter and stronger every day.â€

Fury’s official weight is two pounds lighter than it was for his
unanimous decision victory over Arslanbek Makhmudov in April. At
the weigh-ins, he also spoke about how he plans to approach the
fight with Wach.

“I want to box his head off for 12 rounds, if possible,†Fury
added. “I’m there to box and move, use my attributes. I’ve got to
be 100 percent focused, switched on, take nobody as an easy touch
and do my job, like I always do.â€

His upcoming bout is expected to serve as the final tune-up fight
ahead of a highly-anticipated heavyweight showdown with fellow
Englishman Anthony
Joshua targeted later this year.

Tyson Fury
will fight someone HEAVIER than him for the first time in his
career 😳⚖ï¸#FuryWach
| @SecondsOutLive
pic.twitter.com/W44HWYNKdV

— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing)
July 23, 2026

Kamaru
Usman is weighing options regarding his future in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.

After suffering a one-sided loss to Dricus Du
Plessis in the
UFC Oklahoma City main event, the former welterweight champion
admitted that retirement is now a legitimate possibility as he
evaluates the next step in his career.

Kamaru Usman discusses retirement, Dricus Du Plessis loss and
his UFC future

Usman plans to consult his coaches before making a decision on his
future. The Nigerian-American revealed that retirement is very much
on the cards after his recent defeat.

“Right now, I just have to sit with the coaches, sit with the team,
assess everything,†Usman said on the “Pound 4 Pound” podcast.
“Assess the place where I'm at in my career. Just all in all, see
whether it's worth continuing to do this. Whether it's worth
continuing to put them through that.â€

Usman explained that while previous defeats still left him with
positives to build on, the loss to du Plessis felt different. He
cited his knockout loss to Leon
Edwards, the short-notice defeat against Khamzat
Chimaev and the Edwards trilogy bout as performances in which
he still believes he represented himself well.

“This one was a hard one because I felt like I didn't do that,â€
Usman said. “There was something to build off of for those fights.
This one, to the untrained eye, looks like I bit off more than I
could chew. Even though I may not feel that on the inside, it
looked that way and I don't like that.â€

Having accomplished so much in his career, Usman admits it’s
difficult to leave the sport behind after experiencing the highest
highs.

“This is just as difficult a place to be when we've achieved so
much and you've got so many highs in the sport,†the 39-year-old
added. “When you start to feel the lows, it's not that great… It
puts you in a really difficult and really tough place to make a
tough and potentially permanent decision.â€