Aleksandar Rakić
Aleksandar Rakić (born February 6, 1992) is an Austrian mixed martial artist, who currently competes in the light heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2011, he has also competed for the Final Fight Championship in his native Austria. As of May 4, 2021, he is #3 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. As a way to unload his excess  energy, Rakić started competing in kickboxing and boxing when he was 13 years old. He accumulated over 40 fights prior to transitioning into MMA at the age of 19, as he wanted to incorporate grappling and wrestling into his fighting skills. 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 has 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 Jan Błachowicz on March 26, 2022, at UFC on ESPN 36. However in late January Błachowicz withdrew due to injury and the bout was rescheduled for UFC Fight Night 209 on May 14, 2022.