Kyle Prepolec Chases First UFC Win in Serbia — With Roots on the Line

Kyle Prepolec walks into Belgrade this weekend carrying an 0-4 UFC record across two separate stints — and none of it seems to weigh on him. The 36-year-old Canadian, 18-10 overall with 10 knockouts, meets Poland's Mateusz Rębecki on the prelims of the promotion's debut card in Serbia. For a fighter still hunting his first Octagon win, the setting couldn't be more personal.

Prepolec is half-Serbian, half-Croatian, and Belgrade is where his mother grew up before the family emigrated to Canada. Eighteen years and 28 pro fights into his career, he's still ticking off firsts — this one in his mother's homeland. He joked that the locals will either embrace him or write him off, or maybe just call him a hybrid.

A Career Interrupted

The Windsor, Ontario native first reached the UFC in spring 2019 off a 14-5 regional record, taking a short-notice fight against Nordine Taleb in Ottawa and dropping a decision. A second loss to Austin Hubbard (now 17-10) in Vancouver followed, after which Prepolec was diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis — a serious condition where muscle tissue breaks down and can trigger kidney failure. He was released during the COVID shutdown and spent more than two years sidelined as regional promotions went dark.

He rebuilt on the regional scene, going 4-1 with three straight first-round finishes, and earned his call back. That return hasn't produced a win yet either. Benoît Saint Denis — now ranked #6 at 155 — submitted him in the second round in Montreal last May, and last October he traded haymakers with Drew Dober (29-15) in Vancouver for a Fight of the Night nod before losing by third-round TKO.

Why the 0-4 Doesn't Doom Him

The old three-and-out math no longer applies, and Rębecki is proof. The Pole has dropped his last three and four of his last five, yet he's still on the card — because the UFC now weighs how you fight as heavily as whether you win. Both men have an allergy to dull scraps, which makes Saturday a strong bet for fireworks regardless of the result.

Prepolec's pitch is simple: separate yourself from the scorecard. He said the losses have left him better as a person, and he's stopped worrying about internet noise from people who don't pay his bills. In his division, he added, there are no soft touches — every fight is a boss fight, like a video game where one boss just gives way to the next. His plan is to entertain, be himself, and get the win any way it comes.