Athletes
Aleksandar Rakic | Same Place, Different Fighter
Serbian Light Heavyweight Reflects On Changing Teams, Facing Unbeaten Prospect
When Aleksandar Rakic makes the walk to the Octagon this weekend to face off with Azamat Murzakanov in the UFC 321 main card opener at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, it will be one year less a day since he made the same trek at UFC 308, where he landed on the wrong side of the scorecards with then-contender, now former champion Magomed Ankalaev.
While he’s back in a familiar place this weekend, a lot has changed in the 364 days since the 33-year-old last stepped into the UFC cage.
“The last performance against Ankalaev was pretty good, but I talked to myself after the fight, I talked to my wife, who knows me the best, and I needed to make some changes to get one step closer to fighting for the title because that’s very important for me,” began Rakic, who parted ways with his former team and began training under longtime friend and former professional fighter Nemanja Milosevic in February of this year. “I was not an easy decision — it was a hard one — because this is the first time in my career I have changed teams, but I am very happy about it. Everything went really smooth; the camp and the whole year working out with my new head coach, Nemanja Milosevic.
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“I know him for 15 years already, so he’s been a friend of mine and he was an active MMA fighter as well. Now for eight years, he has been a coach — very successful in his job — and since February this year, I am training under him. His base is in Serbia, which is where I did my camp the last two months, and also before the camp, I went back and forth (between) Austria and Serbia — they’re not far away from each other; about a five-hour drive — so the last couple of months have been a lot of travelling and training and getting leveled up.”
Making a shift like this is never easy, especially when the previous working relationship has been largely successful and longstanding, as was the case for Rakic.
But after bursting onto the scene and quickly ascending to the top tier of the light heavyweight division on the strength of six wins in his first seven UFC appearances, “Rocket” has hit the first real rough patch of his career, at least in terms of results and obstacles.
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Paired off with former champ Jan Blachowicz in May 2022, Rakic suffered a significant knee injury early in the third round of their fight that ultimately left him sidelined for the better part of the next two years. He returned at UFC 300 against ex-titleholder Jiri Prochazka, where he was stopped in the second round. And then last October, he ran into the streaking Ankalaev, winning the first round on all three scorecards before the Russian steadied himself and controlled the final two frames to garner the victory, leaving Rakic heading into the weekend on one of the more understandable three-fight losing streaks you’re going to see in this sport.
“My last three opponents were former champions and in those last three fights, I put on a good performance in all three,” offered Rakic, who currently sits at No. 7 in the light heavyweight rankings, three spots ahead of his UFC 321 adversary. “I didn’t get out-struck, out-wrestled, or out-grappled. Against Jiri, he finished me, but I was leading before that and was really sick at that time; I have never been so tired in one fight.”
And it’s against that backdrop of who he’s faced and the men he’s beaten that Rakic sees himself having a considerable edge over the undefeated but largely unproven Murzakanov on Saturday.
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“Azamat is 15-0 and of course the UFC wants to build him, but I will welcome him to the Top 10, and after this performance, my title run starts again,” Rakic said with a smirk. “I had tougher opponents, better competition.
“He has a perfect record, but not to disrespect his opponents, but you compare his opponents and my opponents, it’s black and white. He’s undefeated for a reason; he does some things very well, but like I said, ‘Welcome to the Top 10.’
“I really can’t wait to take this zero from him and be the guy that gives him the first loss in his pro career,” he added, his smirk widening to a full-blown smile. “After that, one more prospect will be taken away from the UFC.”
As much as there is pressure on Rakic to end his run of unsatisfying results and steady himself in the division — and he has a legitimate challenge in front of him this weekend — the year away and significant changes that he’s made have the Top 10 mainstay champing at the bit to return to Etihad Arena, make the walk to the Octagon, and show everyone what a difference a year can make.
“D'you know how I feel?” Rakic asked rhetorically. “I feel like a free bird or free eagle who can do whatever he wants, but he knows that what he does is the right thing. It’s amazing. I feel happy. There were no negative thoughts the whole camp, the whole time I worked with Nemanja and the team, so I really enjoyed the process, and I’ve really enjoyed fight week, even though I’m cutting weight.
“I really can’t wait until the fight is starting,” he added, making sure to clarify that what he’s looking forward to the most. “Not when the fight is over, but when the fight is starting because I want to show the world, the UFC, my country, Nemanja, myself that I grew as a fighter. I leveled up the ‘Rocket’, and I just want to smash and finish Azamat Murzakanov.”
If everything goes according to plan, Rakic doesn’t see his second straight business trip to Abu Dhabi being particularly long.
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“First- or second-round, by finish; doesn’t matter if it’s (knockout) or submission,” he forecasted. “This is what I worked for, this is what I’m manifesting, this is what I’m thinking. I will search for it, but I will not force it.
“If it’s not coming, then it’s a three-round beatdown,” he said, adding, “that will make it clear who I am right now.”
UFC 321: Aspinall vs Gane took place live from Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on October 25, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!