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Aleksandar Rakić Is Ready To Thrive In Enemy Territory
Austrian Light Heavyweight Plans On Gatecrashing The Light Heavyweight Title Picture With A Big Win Over Magomed Ankalaev At UFC 308
Aleksandar Rakić may be coming into UFC 308 on a two-fight skid, but the Austrian light heavyweight says he’s ready to usurp the division’s joint-number-one contender.
Russia’s Magomed Ankalaev stands shoulder to shoulder with former champion Jiri Prochazka at the top of the UFC’s light heavyweight rankings. And on Saturday night in Abu Dhabi, Rakić plans on knocking him off the top spot and pushing his own claims for a shot at the 205-pound title.
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“We’ve prepared very hard for this one,” he told UFC.com during fight week in Abu Dhabi.
“I know Magomed can mix things up, to wrestle, to strike. He loves to strike. Maybe he doesn't love to wrestle as much, or maybe he doesn't need to use it. But with me, you need to be ready for every part of the game.
“I had a very good camp, and we worked on every segment of the fight – grappling, wrestling and striking – and I'm really looking forward to Saturday night to test my skills against his.”
The bout sees Rakić as the betting underdog, a rare situation for a fighter for whom victory is expected whenever he steps into the cage. It’s a position he’s embracing as he prepares to walk out in front of a crowd he expects will be fully behind his opponent.
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“This is my 10th fight in the UFC, and this is the first time I'm an underdog in the stats of the fight,” he noted.
“I’m in enemy territory. I know I had this before in my UFC career, in my previous fights, and I love it. I love to prove people wrong. I love when they’re booing me. I love the energy and I get so much motivation just to prove the people wrong.
“I have no pressure. He has all the pressure. Probably, the whole stadium is gonna root for him. A small amount of fans are coming from my hometown to support me, but I don't have any pressure. He is ranked number two, so he needs to perform, but I don't know how he’s gonna deal with the pressure, because I did my homework. Let's find out.”
Rakić’s last two outings both ended in defeat, but despite being on the first losing skid of his MMA career, the Austrian said there were plenty of positives to take from both fights, which saw him suffer injury and illness in losses to former champions Jan Blachowicz and Jiri Prochazka. And, with his health issues firmly behind him, Rakić is ready to put things back on track with an attention-grabbing victory in Abu Dhabi.
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“I challenge myself almost every day, and my coaches and my team are always stopping me, because I always want more,” he said.
“I’m a workaholic. I love to work. I love to train. And yes, the last two fights didn't go my way. But I know that in the Octagon, the losses that I have, nobody dominates me, nobody outstrikes me, nobody outwrestles me, and nobody beats me up.
“I lost the two last fights. The first against Blachowicz, I blew my knee out when I was leading on the scorecards. And, with Jiri Prochazka, I had a bad infection three days before the fight, and I was on heavy medication. You saw the fight. Until he finished me, I was leading the fight and taking over, but I really gassed out in that fight because of the heavy medication.
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“I changed many things after the last fight. The last five months have been really hard for me, and after the fight with Jiri, I was still dealing with the infection one month later.
“But then me and my team got together and we made some changes. We prepared in the mountains of Bosnia, and we did some different kinds of training. I had amazing sparring partners, and all the changes (we made), you're gonna see on Saturday.
“I know and I feel that I'm much better than my last fight. And this camp was the hardest one for my body and (for me) mentally. It was pretty quiet, and our only job was only to train, to rest, and to eat – nothing else.”
Well rested and well prepared, Rakić knows how important a win over Ankalaev could be for his career, and he said that he’s ready to go through hell or high water to get that all-important victory.
“The perfect performance would be, I go in and I knock him out in a couple of seconds, get out of the fight with no injuries, and go back to my lovely family, who I didn't see for one-and-a-half months, spend some time together and get my title shot. That would be the perfect scenario,” he said.
“But a fight is a fight. You never know what's going to happen. But I know that I am ready for the worst scenario and the worst thing what can happen in the fight – I'm ready for that.”
UFC 308: Topuria vs Holloway took place live from Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on October 26, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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