Issue 181

August 2019

There's a new hungry breed of fighter at light heavyweight in the UFC and Aleksandar Rakic is its standout star. "I think I could fight Jon Jones now," he tells Fighters Only. "But in two or three fights I will be even better prepared."

Aleksandar Rakic

• UFC Light Heavyweight
• Age: 27
• Record: 12-1-0
• Team: American
• Top Team From: Vienna, Austria

The touchpaper has well and truly been lit on the UFC’s light heavyweight division and a new generation of exciting young fighters has emerged.

One man who has undoubtedly put down 2019 is Austrian fighter, Aleksandar Rakic. The 27-year-old built a record of 8-1 before making his UFC debut in September 2017 and he has since won four times under the UFC banner.

With victories over Francimar Barroso, Justin Ledet and Devin Clark, Rakic kicked off his 2019 campaign by taking on British veteran Jimi Manuwa at UFC Stockholm in June. Unranked at the time and with just a fraction of Manuwa’s experience, Rakic walked into his co-main event fight knowing a tough task lay ahead. It ended up being the highlight of his career though as he finished Manuwa inside just 47 seconds and in doing so sent a clear message to the rest of the UFC’s 205-pound division that he is a force to be reckoned with.

With the world seemingly now at his feet, Rakic looks destined to take on a highly-ranked opponent in his next outing in the UFC Octagon. Speaking recently to Fighters Only, Rakic reflected on life since his win over Manuwa and how the fight originally came about.

“I was asking for a top-ranked guy and the UFC obliged and gave me Jimi,” Rakic says. “I’ve known Jimi for about four years now and we were actually training together a few years ago when I used to go to the Allstars gym in Sweden. Whenever I see him at UFC events I speak to him and we have a good time. Jimi’s a great guy, but business is business and we both went in there looking to win. That’s just the sport. When you fight you have no friends.”

Cross-training out of both Gym 23 in Vienna and American Top Team in Florida, Rakic believes his preparations were the key to his victory over Manuwa. Working alongside his coaches, Rakic says they observed flaws in the Brit’s game.

“I always knew Jimi was going to be a dangerous opponent because he’s been in this business so long and beaten so many top names,” Rakic reasons. “He got all the way up to number four in the rankings so I knew this was always going to be a very tough and hard fight. He’s an amazing striker and has incredible power. I knew I had to make sure my striking was at its best, so when I did my camp at American Top Team in Florida I brought along my boxing coach and worked with him on some specific counters and errors that we knew Jimi made.

“I was so well prepared for everything he was going to bring to the table,” he continues. “I also wrestled with many good wrestlers over there and I grappled with some amazing black belts. I was in the best shape I’ve ever been in and I think that showed on fight night.”

With the bout lasting less than a minute, Rakic was pleased to have come out unscathed. The end of the fight saw Rakic push Manuwa on the back foot and finish a combination of punches with a picture-perfect left head kick to send the Brit to the mat unconscious. It was a setup that Rakic said he had utilized a lot earlier in his career.

“The fight was short and of course, I was very happy about that,” Rakic reflects. “I came out with no injuries and of course, that’s the most important thing. The left head kick is a weapon I’ve used many times in my kickboxing career. I’ve knocked people out before with it, but in the UFC I’d not previously been able to use it that much. I used it against Jimi really well though and I timed it perfectly.

"I just don’t think Jimi saw it coming,” he continued. “He didn’t expect that kick so when it caught him it was always going to finish the fight. When it landed, it felt so clean and I knew it was a knockout blow. I could tell straight away he wasn’t going to get up so that’s why I didn’t do any ground and pound. The way it connected with my leg hitting his head and with that power, I knew it was game over.”

Fighters often say the most devastating strikes are the ones they don’t see coming and so that proved with Manuwa who lay unconscious on the mat for a long time after the fight ended. Thankfully, following attention from the medical staff in the arena, Manuwa made it back to his feet, but even for Rakic, the moments that followed shortly after he dealt the knockout blow were a scary time. It wasn’t until much later in the evening that the Austrian says he was truly able to enjoy his win.

“For a few seconds after the fight, I was so happy, but then I saw he wasn’t getting up and I was scared,” Rakic confesses. “It’s not a nice feeling. When the medical official came in with the oxygen I was very worried, but thankfully he got up and I could start feeling happy again. Afterward, in the hotel, I heard that the hospital had done an MRI and that he was OK. I was very happy to hear this as I don’t want to injure anyone seriously.”

“This was easily the biggest moment of my career so far,” he continues. “To knock out such a dangerous striker in the UFC, not many people have ever done that to Jimi. To get the win so quickly and so decisively I think has set me up for a massive fight next. I’m so proud of it. I think it was my biggest test and it was also my biggest performance. There’s so much that goes into this.” What lies ahead for Rakic next remains unclear, but he thinks he’s just one of many young fighters who are starting to make an impression on the upper end of the division.

With the likes of Thiago Santos, Anthony Smith, and Johnny Walker all recently winning big fights, a division that has previously been criticized for its lack of contenders

has suddenly heated up.

“I think I’m going to get a chance to fight a top-10 or top-5 guy next,” Rakic explains. “I don’t want to call anybody out, but I know I’m going to be ranked very soon. There will only be a few guys in front of me and whoever the UFC put in front of me I will deal with. I know that I’m getting close to the top and fighting for the belt.

“I really believe that this is a new era in our division,” he continues. “Fighters are changing and there are a lot of young prospects now in the rankings. The UFC is doing a good job of putting the young prospects against the veterans so they can prove they belong there in the rankings. I’m one of those who have been tested and I passed that test. I’m ready to work my way to the top and guys like Johnny Walker, Dominic Reyes, Volkan Oezdemir, we’re all below 30. We’re the new breed and I think we all have big futures fighting at the top of the division.”

Though a new wave of talent has emerged, genuine title contenders remain thin on the ground at 205 pounds. Santos will be the next man to attempt to dethrone the current champion, Jon Jones, but Rakic is hoping that he will stick around as champion until he gets a shot at him.

“The dream fight is against Jon Jones,” Rakic declares.

“That’s definitely my dream fight. Ever since I was a kid I was dreaming that I would be a world champion and that would be the person I want to beat for the title. I think I could fight Jon Jones now, but in two or maybe three fights time I will be even more prepared.

“I think I need those fights to reach my peak and get more experience in the Octagon,” he continues. “I think getting five rounds under my belt as well would be very useful as he’s been through those fights many times before. I can’t wait to fight him. It’s going to happen in the future but I’m not going to rush to it.”

Having notched up the biggest win of his career, Rakic is currently spending time with his family whilst he rests and recuperates. The Austrian gets a lot of support from back home in Vienna, but he’s recently noticed a big upsurge in media coverage and fans from the Balkan countries.

“After every fight, I go back to see my family in Serbia,” Rakic says. “I always do that because I have to spend so much time away from them when I am in camp before. I make sure I always go there and also go see my family in Vienna.

“My whole family and friends, they really support me when I’m fighting,” he continues. “I get a lot of attention from the Balkan countries, the former Yugoslavia, Croatia, Bosnia, I have a lot of fans supporting me there. The media right now is going crazy following my last win. I get a lot more attention from there than I actually do in Austria.”

Rakic’s love for martial arts started at an early age and it didn’t take long for him decide he wanted to pursue it as a professional career. With his record now 12-1 and undefeated since his debut in October 2011, Rakic is getting ever closer to fulfilling a dream that began back in his teenage years.

“I started with martial arts when I was 13 years old,” Rakic recalls. “I started out with kickboxing and after one year of training, I had my first fight. From that moment on I knew that this was what I wanted to do. I told myself that I wanted to be a world champion and even at that early age, I knew I was prepared to do whatever it takes.

“When I turned 19, I started MMA because it seemed like the next big thing,” he continues. “I already had 30-40 fights in kickboxing but it was getting a little bit boring for me. MMA just felt like a real fight you know; anything can happen so that’s why I decided to do that instead of kickboxing. Signing for the UFC was a big moment for me and now I have four wins I can see the goal I set out for myself at the start of my career is really coming closer. I just have to be focused now and work hard. The title will come.”

Though his best years in MMA undoubtedly lie ahead of him, Rakic hasn’t neglected to think about what he wants to go on to achieve after he conquers the light heavyweight division. Winning the 205-pound title and continuing to fight in the UFC remains at the forefront of his mind, but Rakic also has other plans in combat sports which will continue when his fighting career is finished.

“After I win the belt in the light heavyweight division I will probably want to have a few more fights at heavyweight,” Rakic muses. “If not then I will do some boxing fights because that was always my first love. I’m putting in a lot of time on my boxing at the moment and I’m putting in some very good hours at the gym against some very high-level people. I want to do just maybe ten pro fights and then open up a gym in Austria. I think it’s important to share my knowledge with the kids and give back to the sport. I want to become a champion myself and then help make some future champions.”