Aleksandar Rakić

Aleksandar Rakić (born February 6, 1992) is an Austrian mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division in 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.

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.

Championships and accomplishments

 * Ultimate Fighting Championship
 * Performance of the Night (One time) vs. Jimi Manuwa