It didn’t take long for [autotag]Aleksandar Rakic[/autotag] to put the UFC light heavyweight division on notice.
After notching three wins over Francimar Barroso, Justin Ledet and Devin Clark, Rakic (12-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) was matched up with fellow knockout artist Jimi Manuwa at UFC on ESPN+ 11 in June 2019.
In his highest-profile fight to date, Rakic passed the test with flying colors. After a few feints and fakes, Rakic lunged forward with a combination, capping it off with a brutal head kick that knocked Manuwa out cold just 42 seconds into the fight. The win established the Austrian as a legitimate threat to the division’s best at 205 pounds as he confirmed his status as a title contender after just four fights with the promotion.
Although Rakic lost a split decision to Volkan Oezdemir in December 2019 at UFC on ESPN+ 23, he later signed a new six-fight deal with the promotion. Now his next assignment will pit him against former light heavyweight title challenger Anthony Smith in the main event of UFC on ESPN+ 33, which takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.
Before he faces Smith (33-15 MMA, 8-5 UFC), relive Rakic’s finish of Manuwa in the video above.
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