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Aleksandar Rakic UFC

Former UFC light heavyweight contender Aleksandar Rakic has made the move up to heavyweight for his upcoming bout at UFC Belgrade.

The UFC officially announced on Monday that Rakic, the No. 12- ranked light heavyweight, will take on Marcin Tybura, the No. 12-ranked heavyweight, in what is his official debut in the UFC’s heaviest weight division.

The event takes place on August 1 at Belgrade Arena in Belgrade, Serbia, the UFC’s first trip to the country. In the main event, Uros Medic battles Daniel Rodriguez in a five-round welterweight bout.

Aleksandar Rakic Looking for Fresh Start in UFC Heavyweight Division

Rakic will be looking for a fresh start in the UFC heavyweight division after losing four straight fights in the light heavyweight division, including three of those losses coming by knockout or technical knockout.

The Austrian-born Serbian, who is now 34 years old, holds a 6-5 overall UFC record since he joined the promotion in 2017. At one point in time, he looked like someone who could be a light heavyweight title contender after he won six of his first seven fights at 205 lbs in the UFC. But he has lost all four fights since then, while also battling injuries.

In his last bout, Rakic lost in the first round by KO to Azamat Murzakanov. It was the fight that made him decide to move up in weight, which was a long time coming. At 6’5″, Rakic is one of the tallest light heavyweights in the UFC, and presumably, he cut a lot of weight to get down to 205 lbs. Now that he’s at heavyweight, he doesn’t have to worry about the weight cut, freeing up his training sessions to be skills-based rather than weight-loss based, which should also help him.

In a recent social media video that Rakic posted on his Instagram, he was looking huge as he prepared for his UFC heavyweight debut against Tybura, a perennial top-15-ranked fighter in the weight class, and the perfect introduction to the UFC’s heaviest weight division for Rakic.

Marcin Tybura Looking to Keep His Place As Top-15 Ranked Heavyweight

For Tybura, this fight against Rakic is an opportunity for him to once again defend his spot in the heavyweight rankings, as he’s essentially become a gatekeeper in the division.

The 40-year-old Pole joined the UFC in 2016, and overall, he has a 14-10 record in the Octagon. In his last two fights, Tybura has struggled as he’s lost back-to-back bouts to Ante Delija and to Tyrell Fortune, a UFC newcomer who beat him by decision. The Fortune loss was a tough one, as Tybura lost to an unranked fighter. This fight against Rakic is a key one, as a loss would give Tybura three defeats in a row, and potentially send him packing from the UFC.

With Rakic on a four-fight losing streak and Tybura on a two-fight losing streak, this fight could very well determine which fighter stays on the UFC roster and who gets released.

As for the betting odds, they have not been released yet, but look for Rakic to be a slight favorite as the younger, more athletic fighter in this matchup.