Aleksandar Rakic News

Adam Martin - February 22, 2021

UFC light heavyweight Thiago Santos promised to be “100 times better” in his return to the Octagon at UFC 259 against Aleksandar Rakic. The last time we saw Santos, he lost in an upset to Glover Teixeira when he was submitted in the third round of that fight. Santos had success early and even dropped Teixeira in the fight, but eventually, the ring rust showed as Santos wore down and was tapped out. After losing a razor-thin split decision to Jon Jones at UFC 239 in July 2019, Santos missed over a year of action due to having double knee surgery and also catching COVID-19. So you can see why it’s somewhat excusable that he wasn’t as sharp when he fought Teixeira.

Adam Martin - February 12, 2021

Light heavyweight contender Aleksandar Rakic says he’s excited for his upcoming fight at UFC 259 against his former teammate Thiago Santos. Rakic takes on Santos next month in an important matchup between top-five fighters in the UFC light heavyweight division. On paper, it’s an exciting matchup between two men who love to stand and strikes. What makes it even more intriguing is that Rakic and Santos were former training partners at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida. The two bought at UFC 231 in December 2018 and ended up doing some training at ATT. But according to Rakic, he’s a much better fighter now than he was back when Santos trained with him.

Adam Martin - January 4, 2021

UFC light heavyweight contender Aleksandar Rakic is hoping to earn himself a title shot with a victory over veteran Thiago Santos at UFC 259. Rakic takes on Santos on the undercard of UFC 259: Blachowicz vs. Adesanya on March 23. Rakic, the No. 4 light heavyweight in the UFC, is 5-1 overall in the UFC and he’s coming off of a decision win over Anthony Smith in his last fight. The Austria native is closing in on the elite of the UFC light heavyweight division and a win over Santos, a former title challenger, would be massive.

Adam Martin - December 22, 2020

The opening betting odds have been released for the upcoming light heavyweight bout between Aleksandar Rakic and Thiago Santos at UFC 259. In a battle between two of the top-five light heavyweights in the UFC, Rakic meets Santos in a three-round fight on the undercard of UFC 259 on March 6 in Las Vegas. We do not yet have an official main event for this card, but whispers are that Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngnannou may headline the event. The promotion also recently added UFC women’s featherweight champion Amanda Nunes vs. Megan Anderson as the co-main event.

Tom Taylor - September 2, 2020

UFC light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith says he’s having a tough time recovering from his recent decision loss to Aleksandar Rakic. Smith and Rakic collided in the main event of UFC Vegas 8 last Saturday, with Rakic ultimately winning a clear-cut unanimous decision. In defeat, Smith fell onto a two-fight skid, having also come up short against Glover Teixeira earlier this year.

Cole Shelton - August 31, 2020

In the main event of UFC Vegas 8, Anthony Smith was making a quick turnaround to take on the rising contender in Aleksandar Rakic. Both men were looking to get back into the win column. With the light heavyweight title vacant, the winner would put themselves in a good position to earn a title shot or be part of a number one contender fight.

Adam D Martin - August 30, 2020

UFC light heavyweight contender Aleksandar Rakic believes that Dominick Reyes will be his toughest test at 205lbs. Rakic picked up the biggest win of his MMA career to date when he won a lopsided unanimous decision over Anthony Smith in the main event of UFC on ESPN+ 33. The win improves Rakic’s record in the Octagon to 5-1 overall, and by beating the No. 5 ranked Smith, Rakic has assured himself of another big-name opponent for his next fight.

Chris Taylor - August 29, 2020

Tonight’s UFC Vegas 8 event was headlined by a key light heavyweight bout featuring former title challenger Anthony Smith taking on Aleksandar Rakic. Smith (33-15 MMA) had entered tonight’s UFC headliner looking to rebound this after suffering a TKO loss to Glover Teixeira in his most recent effort this past May. Prior to his setback to the Brazilian, ‘Lionheart‘ was coming off an impressive submission victory over former title challenger Alexander Gustafsson.

Chris Taylor - August 29, 2020

The Octagon remains in Nevada for tonight’s UFC Vegas 8 event, a ten-bout fight card headlined by a light heavyweight tilt between Anthony Smith and Aleksandar Rakic. Smith (33-15 MMA) will enter tonight’s headliner looking to rebound this after suffering a TKO loss to Glover Teixeira in his most recent effort this past May. Prior to the setback, ‘Lionheart’ was coming off an impressive submission victory over former title challenger Alexander Gustafsson.

Adam Martin - August 28, 2020

UFC light heavyweight contender Aleksandar Rakic intends on making Anthony Smith “pay” for what he says was a brutal training camp. Rakic takes on Smith in the main event of this Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 33 event. Oddsmakers have instilled Rakic as a hefty betting favorite entering the fight. Prior to dropping a narrow split decision to Volkan Oezdemir, Rakic was riding a four-fight win streak in the UFC. Had he beaten Oezdemir, he would be in the title mix right now.

Tom Taylor - August 28, 2020

On Saturday night, the UFC will return to our screens with UFC Vegas 8, the latest event out of the promotion’s Apex facility. UFC Vegas 8 will be headlined by a clash of light heavyweight contenders, as Anthony Smith and Aleksander Rakic look to rebound from recent losses to Glover Teixeira and Volkan Oezdemir respectively, and reassert themselves amongst the division’s best fighters.

Cole Shelton - August 27, 2020

In the main event of UFC Vegas 8, Anthony Smith is returning just three months after his loss to Glover Teixeira to take on Aleksandar Rakic. Heading into the fight, Smith is a +215 underdog while the Austrian is a -275 favorite. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The majority believe the underdog in Smith will get back into the win column.

Adam Martin - February 18, 2020

UFC light heavyweight contender Aleksandar Rakic announced on his social media that he has re-signed with the UFC on a new six-fight contract. Rakic took to his Instagram to announce the new contract with the world’s leading MMA promotion. Here’s what the 28-year-old Austria native wrote.

Tom Taylor - December 24, 2019

Aleksandar Rakic had the opportunity to take a big step up the light heavyweight rankings at UFC Busan when he took on former title challenger Volkan Oezdemir. While Rakic had plenty of success in this fight, Oezdemir ultimately left the cage with a controversial split decision win on his record. Speaking on Instagram on Sunday, Rakic issued a brief statement on this setback. He included a photo of himself moments after a previous win, and assured he feels just as victorious after his fight with Oezdemir.

Chris Taylor - December 21, 2019

Today’s UFC Busan event is co-headlined by a light heavyweight matchup featuring Volkan Oezdemir taking on Alexander Rakic. Oezdemir (16-4 MMA) recently put an end to his three-fight losing skid in August by scoring a second round knockout victory over Ilir Latifi. ‘No Time’ has gone 4-3 thus far in his UFC career, scoring highlight reel knockout wins over Jimi Manuwa and Misha Cirkunov during that stretch.

Natasha Hooper - December 20, 2019

The UFC is back to business in Busan, South Korea on Saturday with the anticipated UFC Busan card. UFC Busan will be headlined by a featherweight fight between Korean legend “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung and Frankie Edgar. The Korean Zombie was originally expected to fight Brian Ortega. However, the 28-year old suffered a partially torn ACL during a sparring session. He is still eyeing a fight against Sung Jung in early 2020 but he had to pull out, leaving Frankie Edgar to step up as a last-minute replacement.

Chris Taylor - June 1, 2019

A light heavyweight scrap between Aleksandar Rakic and Jimi Manuwa co-headlined today’s UFC Stockholm event. Manuwa entered the contest in desperate need of a win, this after dropping his last three fights. In his most previous effort at UFC 231, the ‘Poster Boy’ suffered a brutal knockout loss at the hands of soon to be title challenger Thiago Santos.

Drake Riggs - March 25, 2019

The UFC returns to Stockholm, Sweden on June 1 and the card is starting to really look like a light heavyweight showcase as some big-time match-ups have been made. The first of the bouts that were announced was the main event which features Sweden’s favorite fighting son, three-time title challenger, Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson. As he looks to rebound off of his recent loss to current champion, Jon Jones, so will his opponent, Anthony “Lionheart” Smith.