UFC 259’s main card kicked off with a light heavyweight bout between Aleksandar Rakić and former title challenger Thiago Santos. Following a unanimous decision win, Rakić was awarded his BJJ brown belt in the cage by his coach Roberto Pastuch.
A measured win, Rakić utilized the clinch along with heavy leg kicks to keep Santos from getting started. Santos landed some big counters, but his recovery from knee surgery saw him noticeably slower than in his most recent appearance against Jon Jones. Both men were favoring a careful approach for the duration of the fight, but Rakić did briefly take flight for a solid flying knee.
Despite his time on the mats and obvious passion for grappling, Rakić attempted only one takedown in the last round and was unfortunately unsuccessful. Santos peppered in some shots while he defended, but the clinch soon ended along with the match.
Taking time to train in the gi, Rakić was promoted to purple belt by Pastuch in December of 2018. With this win, he’s 6-1 in the UFC and 14-2 as a professional fighter. A resume that certainly warrants a high level opponent in the near future.
