Aleksandar Rakić Record: 15-6-0

Rise up the light heavyweight ranks

Rakić stayed unbeaten through his first run in the UFC. In July 2018 he outpointed previously undefeated Justin Ledet over three rounds, then closed the year with a first-round TKO of Devin Clark at UFC 231. His signature highlight came in June 2019, when he flattened veteran Jimi Manuwa with a first-round head kick — one of the most spectacular knockouts of that year. A narrow split-decision loss to Volkan Oezdemir in December 2019 was his first setback, but he rebounded emphatically.

Contender years and the title chase

Rakić strung together two of the biggest wins of his career, decisioning former title challenger Anthony Smith in August 2020 and former title challenger Thiago Santos at UFC 259 in March 2021, results that pushed him to the doorstep of a championship shot. In a pivotal main-event meeting with former champion Jan Błachowicz in May 2022, Rakić was competitive before a knee injury forced a third-round stoppage, derailing his momentum. He returned at UFC 300 in April 2024 against former champion Jiří Procházka, falling by second-round TKO, then dropped a unanimous decision to Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 308 in October 2024. A first-round TKO loss to unbeaten Azamat Murzakanov at UFC 321 in October 2025 left him looking to reset against Marcin Tybura.

Fighting style

Rakić is a long, powerful, technically polished striker who fights behind a rangy jab and punishing leg kicks, mixing in the head-kick power that produced his most memorable finishes. Nine of his 14 wins have come by knockout or TKO, a 71% finish rate that underlines the danger in his hands and shins. He pairs his striking with sturdy takedown defense that lets him keep fights standing, where he is most comfortable. The flip side has shown late in his career: each of his recent losses came against elite competition, and durability against the division's hardest hitters has become the question he must answer.

Career highlights

• Head-kick KO of Jimi Manuwa — his first-round demolition of the dangerous Englishman in 2019 stands as one of the cleanest highlight-reel finishes of his career.
• Wins over Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos — back-to-back decisions over former title challengers carried Rakić into the top of the light heavyweight contender picture.
• Long-running top-ranked contender — Rakić spent years as a fixture in the UFC light heavyweight top 10, knocking on the door of a championship opportunity.