The light heavyweight bout between Magomed Ankalaev and Aleksandar Rakić may very well decide Alex Pereira’s next opponent. Magomed Ankalaev has been gunning for a title shot against the champion, but Aleksandar Rakić has other plans. The no.5-ranked UFC light heavyweight plans to crash Ankalaev’s party at UFC 308.
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Speaking to the media, ‘Rocket’ said the following, “It’s time to remind the fans and the people in the UFC who ‘The Rocket’ is from back in the day. I am ready to crash the party on Saturday, and mix things up.”
.@rakic_ufc says he’s ready to “crash the party” against Magomed Ankalaev at #UFC308:
“It’s time to remind the fans and the people in the UFC who ‘The Rocket’ is from back in the day.” pic.twitter.com/yupKA0XIYL
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) October 23, 2024
Though confident, Rakić lost via TKO in his last two bouts against former champions Jiří Procházka and Jan Blachowicz. Meanwhile, Ankalaev is undefeated in his last 12 fights, and most recently knocked Johnny Walker out in the first round earlier in January. The fight against Magomed Ankalaev will be the biggest test of Aleksandar Rakić‘s career.
UFC 300 fight with Jiří Procházka earned Rakić fight with Magomed Ankalaev
Aleksandar Rakić last fought Jiří Procházka at UFC 300 in what was an absolute slugfest. The Austrian fighter, despite losing, brought his A-game after coming off an injury that cost him two years in the sport. Regardless of the injury and losses, ‘Rocket’ finds himself at the cusp of a title shot against the No.1-ranked contender.
The No.5-ranked light heavyweight believes that his UFC 300 performance against Jiří Procházka earned him a fight with Magomed Ankalaev. Here’s what Rakić said about him earning the shot, “What makes me really happy is that the UFC gave me Ankalaev. And I honestly believe that if I didn’t put a good fight at UFC 300 – doesn’t matter, the result – I would never get that fight. When I got the fight against Ankalaev – the name? I immediately said yes. This is the best match up for me. And, stylistically, it’s going to be a better match up for me than Jiří Procházka.”
A win over Ankalaev could catapult Rakić straight up the ranking into a possible title shot against Alex Pereira. However, Ankalaev has been exceptionally dominant and poses a legitimate threat in the grappling department for the Austrian fighter.
Who do you think wins on Saturday? Will Magomed Ankalaev finally get another shot at the title against Alex Pereira, or will Aleksandar Rakić pull off the upset? Let us know in the comments section below.
