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Aleksandar Rakic isn’t nervous about Jiri Prochazka’s unorthodox type.
The April 13 duel between Rakic and Prochazka at UFC 300 is predicted to be a striker’s delight, with each fighters identified for doing harm within the standup. Rakic has had loads of time to review the previous gentle heavyweight champion, as he’s been on the shelf since Could 2022 after struggling a severe knee harm in a loss to Jan Blachowicz — and from what he is aware of of Prochazka, he’s assured that he can take his spot within the contender’s line.
“When you see the fights with Jiri, in virtually each UFC combat he received dropped,” Rakic stated on The MMA Hour. “I might not say that his chin is weak, however he feels the punches actually totally different than, for instance, me. I used to be actually stunned in regards to the takedown in opposition to Pereira, he did it very properly. This is among the holes, to be virtually shedding each combat after which the opposite factor is, the great factor is, he’s all the time coming again and all the time finishes sturdy. In order that’s a advantage of him.
“I simply have to be cautious and to be centered with him on a regular basis.”
Prochazka suffered his first UFC loss this previous November at UFC 295, the place he was defeated by way of TKO by the all the time harmful Alex Pereira in a vacant gentle heavyweight title combat. It wasn’t the primary time Prochazka had been stung by a striker, however he’d beforehand had success profitable back-and-forth battles with Glover Teixeira, Dominick Reyes, and Volkan Oezdemir. He didn’t get the prospect to return again in opposition to “Poatan,” nonetheless.
As for Rakic, he’s coming off simply his second UFC loss, although neither of his octagon setbacks have been definitive. In December 2019, he misplaced a contentious cut up resolution in opposition to Oezdemir, and in opposition to Blachowicz the bout ended prematurely when Rakic tore his ACL within the third spherical of their combat.
A rematch between Rakic and Blachowicz was scheduled for UFC 297, however after Blachowicz withdrew as a result of must have surgical procedure completed on his shoulder, Rakic was as an alternative moved to UFC 300 to face Prochazka.
“Ask me, after all, I wish to shut this chapter with Jan,” Rakic stated. “However I actually don’t really feel that I misplaced the combat in opposition to Jan as a result of he was the higher man. I misplaced the combat as a result of I injured myself and I beat myself, so this combat I didn’t see as a revenge. It was only a regular, common combat.
“However I feel for the followers, it’s extra thrilling to combat Jiri Prochazka. He’s from Czech Republic, I dwell in Austria, we’re actually shut to one another, we’re each European, we’re each younger, he has a really thrilling type so I’d love to check myself in opposition to a former champion on this type.”
Rakic steps again into a light-weight heavyweight title image that’s full of query marks. Pereira is but to schedule his first title protection, prime contenders Magomed Ankalaev and Johnny Walker run it again after their first outing resulted in a no-contest, former champion Jamahal Hill continues to be recovering from an Achilles harm, and the streaking Khalil Rountree Jr. additionally looms as a doable title challenger.
Relying on how he seems in his comeback combat, Rakic believes he has an opportunity of combating for the title subsequent.
“I feel if I beat Jiri in good trend, with a great efficiency, I might be within the title image straightaway,” Rakic stated. “I don’t understand how lengthy [Pereira] goes to take for the restoration, we don’t know what’s going to occur with the winner of Ankalaev-Walker, what they’re going to do, however I imagine if I beat Jiri in good trend I might be proper into the combo.”
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