The UFC heads to Croatia for the first time on Sunday with a serviceable fight-night offering on Fox Sports 1—Fight Night 36. After a successful effort in Poland last year, the promotion is looking to expand its profile in Eastern Europe with a card mostly stocked with regional talents.
The main event features an outstanding heavyweight matchup between former heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos and unexpected contender Ben Rothwell. A knockout loss to Alistair Overeem in December has Dos Santos staring irrelevance in the face with another loss, while Rothwell could stamp his ticket to a well-deserved title shot with a victory.
The rest of the card is short on name value and long on the potential for entertaining violence.
The heavyweight theme that began with the main event continues with Derrick Lewis facing Gabriel Gonzaga in the co-main event, while touted prospects Curtis Blaydes and Francis Ngannou meet in another excellent heavyweight bout. Timothy Johnson “welcomes” Polish blue-chipper Marcin Tybura to the UFC to complete the card’s 265-pound offerings.
The main card opens with a barnburner of a strawweight matchup between Ukraine’s Maryna Moroz and Romania’s Cristina Stanciu. The prelims have a series of fun fights as well, with Mairbek Taisumov meeting Bosnia’s Damir Hadzovic and Nicolas Dalby taking on Zak Cummings.
The event itself isn’t must-see in terms of storylines, but it should be a fun way to spend a Sunday. Let’s take a look at each individual matchup.