A possible light heavyweight shot, for Magomed Ankalaev, was in the offing at UFC 308, should he get past Aleksandar Rakic.
Of course as is often the case in the UFC, nothing was certain, and Alex Pereira had just defeated Khalil Rountree Jr. earlier in the month. Ankalaev had been passed over for that fight, but a win over Rakic would certainly keep him in the mix.
As for Rakic, a shot at gold was unlikely win or lose, given he entered the night on a two-fight skid.
While Ankalaev opened the fight with a left hand, it was Rakic going upstairs with a kick, though blocked, that immediately set the tone. Rakic’s kicks both low and high were connecting with audible cracks; Ankalaev’s kicks were comparatively softer. The pair slowly circled the cage, trading mostly single strikes. Soon, Ankalaev found a home for his left hand. His right hand was in play as well, though Rakic threatened with another head kick near the midway mark of the round. That head kick would come again with 90 seconds left in round one, but once again it was blocked.
Round two found Ankalaev firing an upwards elbow early, and otherwise looking to find a way in on Rakic. Rakic was constantly moving, circling the cage and forcing Ankalaev to try to cut him off at angles. “Rocket” Rakic also made us of his right hand, while Ankalaev looked to land a power shot, while adding in the odd kick. With the midway mark of the second approaching, Ankalaev tagged the body, which seemed to leave Aleksandar Rakic in some discomfort. He went on the defensive, leading to Ankalaev turning up the heat a little. A much better round for Magomed Ankalaev, after a close first frame.
The third came with one of two scenarios in play: Ankalaev was either up two rounds (his corner held that belief), or the fight was tied. Rakic got his kicks going early, and again settled on circling on the outside. Ankalaev, however, caught him just under a minute in, landing a solid left hand. Rakic survived, shot in for a leg, and had Ankalaev hopping. He hopped right back to the fence, in fact, but couldn’t complete the single-leg takedown. Anaklaev would reverse, only for Rakic to reverse again, the fight having turned into a grueling grappling battle. A few knees were traded in the clinch, but no finish would come, and Ankalaev would go on to claim the decision victory.
After the fight, Magomed Ankalaev complained that Rakic’s strange striking style had left him struggling to engage. He then called for a title shot. “I think I’ve done everything to deserve the next title shot. I’d like to talk to Alex [Pereira, light heavyweight champ], I’d like to tell him ‘stop running away from me.’ We should fight.”
Official Result: Magomed Ankalaev def. Aleksandar Rakic by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
