UFC light heavyweight contender Aleksandar Rakić evidently believes he was unlucky not to leave the United Arab Emirates with a win added to his record this past weekend.
Rakić slumped to 0-2 in 2024 at Saturday’s UFC 308 pay-per-view. He met the division’s top-ranked contender, Magomed Ankalaev, on the main card inside Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena.
The bout went the distance, with the Dagestani securing three 29-28 scorecards to extend his unbeaten run to 13 straight fights and once again stake his claim for a long-desired shot at Alex Pereira.
In terms of the result, most appeared to share the same view as the judges. On MMA Decisions, all 14 media members who submitted scorecards had Ankalaev winning, with half giving him all three rounds. Just over 85 percent of fan scorecards, meanwhile, also went the way of the Russian.
The defeated Rakić, however, seemingly saw it as a fifty-fifty fight…
“I‘m proud of the support my country my dear people !! Last night I had a competitive fight against the No.1 ranked guy in the world I am proud of my achievement; the decision could go either way,” Rakić wrote on Instagram. “Thanks to my family, friends & team !!!
I‘ll rest couple days and get back to work 🚀 | #UFC308 🇦🇪”
The contest marked Rakić’s second since recovering from the torn ACL he suffered in an Apex main event opposite Jan Błachowicz back in May 2022. He made his return this past April at UFC 300, where his strong start against Jiří Procházka was rendered null when he faded and was finished in round two.
Having fallen short against two names above him in the pecking order this year to send him on a three-fight losing skid, “Rocket” will likely be tasked with defending his #5 spot on the ladder next time out.
