Alexander Poppeck will finally make his long-awaited UFC debut on August 1 in Belgrade, Serbia. The German standout replaces Max Gimenis, who was originally scheduled to face Jovan Leka.
Taking a look at alexander poppeck:
Alexander Poppeck typically competes at light heavyweight (205 pounds), but due to the 10-day turnaround, he will make his UFC debut at heavyweight.
A chance to fight in the UFC has been a long time coming for Poppeck. He previously competed on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2019, where he ran into future UFC champion Jamahal Hill, who stopped him via second-round TKO.
Since his appearance on DWCS, Alexander Poppeck has become a mainstay on the European scene, compiling a 12-2, 1 NC record across multiple promotions. Overall, “Ironside” owns an impressive professional record of 21-5.
Since October 2022, Poppeck has competed for OKTAGON MMA, one of Europe’s premier promotions. He appeared to be next in line for a shot at Will Fleury’s light heavyweight OKTAGON title following his unanimous decision victory over Tomasz Narkun. Instead, he’ll receive an even bigger opportunity by joining the UFC. Following this debut, it’s likely Poppeck will return to his natural weight class of light heavyweight.
alexander poppeck’s opponent: Jovan Leka
Jovan Leka will also be making his UFC debut in front of his hometown fans in Serbia. A natural heavyweight, the Serbian owns a 13-2 professional record. He earned a victory on Dana White’s Contender Series last summer with a win over Azamat Nuftillaev but was not awarded a UFC contract that night. After picking up two more regional victories—most recently a second-round TKO over Danilo Suzart—Leka has finally received the call to the world’s premier MMA promotion.
A tough setback for Max Gimenis
This is also an unfortunate setback for Max Gimenis. The Brazilian suffered a broken foot during his final sparring session of training camp on Sunday, forcing him to withdraw from the contest. Gimenis had an incredibly difficult assignment in his UFC debut last November against Josh Hokit, suffering a 56-second knockout loss. That bout also marked Hokit’s promotional debut. Gimenis told me he remains hopeful that he’ll be able to return before the end of 2026.
Alexander Poppeck and Jovan Leka should deliver an exciting matchup between two hungry debutants, as both men will be eager to make a statement in their first UFC appearance.
UFC Belgrade is just nine days away, with 13 fights currently scheduled. While the official bout order has yet to be announced, here’s how the card is shaping up:
Main Event:
- Uros Medic vs. Daniel Rodriguez (Welterweight)
Co-Main Event:
Confirmed Main Card:
- Marcin Tybura vs. Aleksandar Rakic (Heavyweight)
Scheduled Fights:
- Mateusz Rebecki vs. Kyle Prepolec (Lightweight)
- Vlasto Cepo vs. Gilbert Urbina (Welterweight)
- Dusko Todorovic vs. Robert Valentin (Middleweight)
- Milos Janicic vs. Noah Gugnon (Lightweight)
- L’udovit Klein vs. Tofiq Musaev (Lightweight)
- Bogdan Grad vs. Dennis Buzukja (Featherweight)
- Mark Vologdin vs. Josias Musasa (Bantamweight)
- Nina Milosevic vs. Hailey Cowan (Women’s Bantamweight)
- Michael Oliveira vs. Oban Elliott (Welterweight)
- Marina Spasic vs. Stephanie Luciano (Women’s Strawweight)
