“You need to beat him.”; Aleksandar Rakic wants to fight Jon Jones someday


“You need to beat him.”; Aleksandar Rakic wants to fight Jon Jones someday

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Aleksandar Rakic is in hope of getting a title shot after a win over Anthony Smith at UFC Vegas 8 this Saturday Night. But he may never get it against the longest-reigning champion in light heavyweight history. 

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Jon Jones announced a week and a half before that he was vacating the 205 pound title. He also announced that he plans to move up to heavyweight division.

With light heavyweight title vacated now, UFC has already booked a title bout between Jan Blachowicz and Dominick Reyes at UFC 253.

Aleksandar Rekic wants to fight Jon Jones

Aleksandar has expressed mixed feelings over the Jon Jones leaving the division. While speaking with MMA Fighting during Vegas 8 media day, he said, “I’m a little bit happy, though I’m a little bit sad because he left.”

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“I’m happy because the way to the top, to the belt is shorter, but I’m sad because if you become a champion in light heavyweight, the people gonna say, ‘You need to beat Jon Jones to become the real light heavyweight champion.’ So you’re never going to be the champion in the people’s eyes. You need to beat him.”

Jones has never suffered a legitimate defeat in his light heavyweight career. Only once he got some error when he was disqualified in a fight with Matt Hamill, which he was dominating. Besides that, except some close decisions, he’s been virtually untouched as one of the UFC’s most prolific champions.

Although Jones has voluntarily vacated the belt, Rakic hopes he will get to fight Jones at some time. “Maybe after he has a couple fights at heavyweight, maybe he wants to challenge himself and go back to light heavyweight and want to be a double champ – you never know,” Rakic said. “Or, maybe in the future I’m going to meet Jon in the heavyweight division. You never know what’s going to happen.”

As the new champion will be crowned in September, Rakic is keeping his primary focus on Anthony Smith to make a statement about his stand in the division.

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“I need and I will make a statement on Saturday that the world knows who Aleksandar Rakic is,” Rakic said.

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