Tomorrow on the main card of UFC 308, we are going to see a title eliminator in the light heavyweight division. Former title challenger Magomed Ankalaev (19-1-1, 1 NC) will look to get back to the title as he takes on the extremely dangerous Aleksandar Rakic (14-4).
Starting with Rakic, he technically enters this fight having lost two fights in a row. Granted, one was by injury TKO when he injured his knee against Jan Blachowicz back in 2022. It took him nearly two years to come back and when he did, he faced Jiri Prochazka at UFC 300. He gave Prochazka a helluva fight but he was ultimately stopped in the second round by the former champion.
The last time we saw Magomed Ankalaev was back in January against Johnny Walker. Ankalaev brutally knocked Walker out in the second round and after that fight, I was convinced he was getting a title shot. However, the UFC has had other plans and Ankalaev will need to get through Rakic to get that title shot he craves.
UFC 308 Prediction
When he comes to the overall game, Magomed Ankalaev is on another level. He has very good striking, but he also has very strong wrestling. Ankalaev is the big betting favorite and I can see why. However, I can’t shake this feeling about Aleksandar Rakic in this matchup.
Rakic was beating Jiri Prochazka up before Prochazka caught him. He looked better than ever and his combination of size, power, and explosiveness is going to be a problem for a lot of light heavyweights. If he keeps this fight standing, I think he has a real shot at UFC 308.
I think if you’re wanting to be safe with betting, you’d put money on Ankalaev. Between his striking and wrestling, he just has a clear path. However, I’m going with the upset here. Something in me just says that Rakic is going to get it done and I think he’ll get it done before the fight is over.
Prediction: Aleksandar Rakic by TKO