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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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Aleksandar Rakić
Aleksandar Rakić (born February 6, 1992) is an Austrian mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2011, Rakić has also competed for the Final Fight Championship in Austria. As of August 1, 2023, he is #5 in the UFC light heavyweight rankings.

Background

Rakić was born and raised in Vienna, Austria, into a Serb family. As a child, he played football. However, he was aggressive up to a point where he was expelled from the team. Rakić started training in kickboxing and boxing when he was 12 years old, and had his first fight at 14. He accumulated over 40 fights by the time he was 20 years old, when he transitioned to mixed martial arts (MMA) for a new challenge. He worked at a hotel to support himself while training.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Rakić started his professional MMA career in 2011, competing primarily in the European circuit, and amassed a record of 8–1 before being signed by the UFC in March 2017.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Rakić made his UFC debut on September 2, 2017, against Francimar Barroso at UFC Fight Night 115 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Rakić was expected to face Gadzhimurad Antigulov on February 24, 2018, at UFC on Fox 28. However, it was reported on February 7, 2018, that Antigulov was pulled from the fight, citing injury, as a result, the bout was cancelled.

His next fight came on July 22, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 134 against Justin Ledet. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Rakić faced Devin Clark on December 8, 2018, at UFC 231. He won the fight by TKO in the first round.

Rakić next faced Jimi Manuwa on June 1, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 153. He won the fight by knockout with a head kick in the opening minute of the fight. The win also earned his first Performance of the Night bonus award.

Rakić faced Volkan Oezdemir on December 21, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 165 He lost the fight via split decision. 7 out of 8 media members scored the fight for Rakić.

On February 17, 2020, Rakić announced on his social media that he had signed a new, six-fight contract with the UFC.

Rakić faced Anthony Smith on August 29, 2020, at UFC Fight Night 175. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Rakić faced Thiago Santos on March 6, 2021, at UFC 259. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Rakić was scheduled to face former UFC Light Heavyweight champion Jan Błachowicz on March 26, 2022, at UFC on ESPN 33. However, in late January, Błachowicz withdrew due to an injury and the bout was rescheduled for UFC on ESPN 36 on May 14, 2022. Rakić lost the fight via technical knockout in round three after being rendered unable to continue after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament. He hurt his knee three weeks prior to the fight during sparring.

After a nearly two year layoff, Rakić was set to make his return to face Jan Błachowicz in a rematch on January 20, 2024, at UFC 297. However, Błachowicz withdrew due to shoulder surgery. Rakić was then booked to instead face former UFC Light Heavyweight champion Jiří Procházka on April 13, 2024 at UFC 300. Despite landing numerous leg kicks, Rakić lost the bout by technical knockout in the second round.

Rakić faced Magomed Ankalaev on October 26, 2024 at UFC 308. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
19 matches 14 wins 5 losses
By knockout 9 2
By submission 1 1
By decision 4 2
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 14–5 Magomed Ankalaev Decision (unanimous) UFC 308 October 26, 2024 3 5:00 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Loss 14–4 Jiří Procházka TKO (punches) UFC 300 April 13, 2024 2 3:17 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 14–3 Jan Błachowicz TKO (knee injury) UFC on ESPN: Błachowicz vs. Rakić May 14, 2022 3 1:11 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 14–2 Thiago Santos Decision (unanimous) UFC 259 March 6, 2021 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 13–2 Anthony Smith Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Rakić August 29, 2020 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 12–2 Volkan Oezdemir Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. The Korean Zombie December 21, 2019 3 5:00 Busan, South Korea
Win 12–1 Jimi Manuwa KO (head kick) UFC Fight Night: Gustafsson vs. Smith June 1, 2019 1 0:42 Stockholm, Sweden Performance of the Night.
Win 11–1 Devin Clark TKO (punches) UFC 231 December 8, 2018 1 4:05 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Win 10–1 Justin Ledet Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Smith July 22, 2018 3 5:00 Hamburg, Germany
Win 9–1 Francimar Barroso Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Struve September 2, 2017 3 5:00 Rotterdam, Netherlands
Win 8–1 Sergio Souza TKO (punches) Austrian Fight Challenge 5 March 4, 2017 1 N/A Vienna, Austria
Win 7–1 Martin Batur KO (punch) Austrian Fight Challenge 1 June 20, 2015 1 0:26 Vienna, Austria
Win 6–1 Marcin Prachnio TKO (punches) Final Fight Championship 16 December 6, 2014 3 3:00 Vienna, Austria
Win 5–1 Norbert Péter TKO (punches) HG: Heimgala 2 September 13, 2014 1 4:57 Vienna, Austria
Win 4–1 Péter Rozmaring Submission (north-south choke) Vendetta: Rookies 2 July 6, 2013 1 1:32 Vienna, Austria
Win 3–1 Laszlo Czene KO (head kick) WFC: Challengers 3 June 3, 2012 1 N/A Vienna, Austria
Win 2–1 Richard Longhimo TKO (punches) Iron Fist: Vendetta 3 March 18, 2012 2 4:30 Vienna, Austria
Win 1–1 Carsten Lorenz TKO (punches) New Talents 15 February 4, 2012 1 1:42 Erfurt, Germany
Loss 0–1 Christian Radke Submission (guillotine choke) Rock the Cage 2 October 15, 2011 1 4:34 Greifswald, Germany

See also

References

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  4. ^ Kevin Bradley (March 6, 2021). "Aleksandar Rakić Promoted to Brown Belt after UFC 259 Win". Jiu-Jitsu Times.
  5. ^ Jim Norton; Matt Serra (August 24, 2020). "Robbie Lawler and Aleksandar Rakic" (Podcast).
  6. ^ "Aleksandar Rakić". www.ufc.com. 2018-09-14. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  7. ^ "UFC Rankings, Division Rankings, P4P rankings, UFC Champions | UFC.com". www.ufc.com. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
  8. ^ ""MOJA KRV JE SRPSKA" MMA fajter odlukom ODUŠEVIO, Rakić promenio zastavu i Srbija će imati prvog borca za UFC pojas". Blic.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 2020-11-08.
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  12. ^ "Four fights set for UFC Fight Night: Rotterdam | Fightful MMA". www.fightful.com. Retrieved 2018-12-08.
  13. ^ "UFC-Rotterdam results: Aleksandar Rakic dominates Francimar Barroso over 15 minutes". MMAjunkie. 2017-09-02. Retrieved 2018-12-08.
  14. ^ DNA, MMA. "Gadzhimurad Antigulov treft Aleksandar Rakic tijdens UFC on FOX 28 in Orlando". mmadna.nl. Retrieved 2017-12-08.
  15. ^ DNA, MMA (7 February 2018). "Gadzhimurad Antigulov vs. Aleksandar Rakic geschrapt voor UFC Orlando". mmadna.nl. Retrieved 2018-12-08.
  16. ^ Carroll, Peter (2018-05-03). "Justin Ledet vs. Aleksandar Rakic booked for UFC Hamburg". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2018-12-08.
  17. ^ "UFC Fight Night 134 results: Aleksandar Rakic dominates Justin Ledet for lopsided decision". MMAjunkie. 2018-07-22. Retrieved 2018-12-08.
  18. ^ Lee, Alexander K. (2018-09-04). "Devin Clark vs. Aleksandar Rakic announced for UFC 231". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2018-12-08.
  19. ^ Hiergesell, Dan (2018-12-08). "Highlights! Rakic Finishes Clark Via Back Fist At UFC 231". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2018-12-09.
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  23. ^ DNA, MMA (20 September 2019). "Light-Heavyweightclash tussen Volkan Oezdemir en Aleksandar Rakic tijdens UFC Busan". Retrieved 2019-09-20.
  24. ^ Doherty, Dan (2019-12-21). "UFC Busan Results: Volkan Oezdemir On Right Side of Split Decision Against Aleksander Rakic". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2019-12-22.
  25. ^ "Volkan Oezdemir defeats Aleksandar Rakic". mmadecisions.com. Archived from the original on 9 February 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  26. ^ Aleksandar Rakić (February 17, 2020). "Pleased to announce that I signed a new long term contract with 6 fights in the @ufc . This is the 3rd contract with the company in 2 years. Rocket Time 🚀🔝". Archived from the original on 2021-12-24.
  27. ^ Redactie (2020-06-19). "Anthony Smith en Aleksandar Rakić treffen elkaar op 29 augustus". mmadna.nl. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
  28. ^ Evanoff, Josh (2020-08-29). "UFC Vegas 8 Results: Aleksandar Rakic Dominates Anthony Smith". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  29. ^ Murray, Doug (2020-11-13). "UFC: Thiago Santos vs. Aleksandar Rakic Added to March 6 Card". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
  30. ^ "Dober, Zacharias", Benezit Dictionary of Artists, Oxford University Press, 2011-10-31, doi:10.1093/benz/9780199773787.article.b00052066, retrieved 2021-03-07
  31. ^ DNA, MMA (2021-12-01). "Jan Blachowicz vs. Aleksandar Rakic is het Main Event tijdens UFC evenement op 26 maart". MMA DNA. Retrieved 2021-12-01.
  32. ^ Steven Marrocco (2021-01-27). "Jan Blachowicz vs. Aleksandar Rakic scratched from UFC Columbus". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2021-01-27.
  33. ^ Marcel Dorff (2022-03-27). "UFC Blachowicz vs. Rakic main event booked again, this time for May 14th". Eurosport (in Dutch). Retrieved 2022-03-28.
  34. ^ Doherty, Dan (2022-05-15). "UFC Vegas 54: Aleksandar Rakic Injures Knee, Falls to Jan Blachowicz". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  35. ^ "Aleksandar Rakic anxious to return for 'unfinished business' with Jan Blachowicz, explains knee injury suffered before fight". www.mmafighting.com. 18 May 2022. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  36. ^ "Jan Blachowicz vs. Aleksandar Rakic 2 officially booked for UFC 297 in Toronto". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. 12 November 2023.
  37. ^ Nolan King (2023-12-07). "Jan Blachowicz announces surgery, issues emotional statement on UFC 297 withdrawal". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
  38. ^ Cole Shelton (2023-12-21). "Dana White announces several new fights including three for UFC 300". bjpenn.com. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  39. ^ Anderson, Jay (2024-04-14). "UFC 300: Jiri Prochazka Batters Aleksandar Rakic, Calls for Title Shot". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
  40. ^ MMA Junkie Staff (2024-08-03). "Magomed Ankalaev vs. Aleksandar Rakic sneaks its way into jam-packed UFC 308 lineup". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-08-03.
  41. ^ Anderson, Jay (2024-10-26). "UFC 308: Magomed Ankalaev Beats Aleksandar Rakic, Tells Poatan to "Stop Running"". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2024-10-26.
  42. ^ "UFC Stockholm bonuses: Anthony Smith's main event submission leads $50K winners". MMAmania. 2019-06-01. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
  43. ^ Sherdog.com. "Aleksandar". Sherdog. Retrieved 2021-03-07.
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