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Aleksandar Rakic has blamed Israel Adesanya for his lack of fights in the division.
In a recent episode of the Michael Bisping's Believe You Me podcast, Aleksandar Rakic was asked about the reason for his lack of activity in the 205lb division over the last two years. Answering which, 'The Rocket' said:
"I think the biggest fault of this is Israel Adesanya because he get the chance to fight against Jan and basically we had already Glover [Teixeria] waiting of Jan. So basically he stepped in and he stopped the whole division. You know, for example, if this fight didn't happened [Jan Błachowicz vs. Israel Adesanya] I was supposed to fight Glover and Jan on this event. So basically I fought Thiago [Santos] and basically; if this fight happen I would probably fight the winner of Jan and Glover but Israel stepped in and he was holding up the division."
What Rakic is referencing is the massive holdup due to Israel Adesanya's title shot earlier this year. With Glover Teixeira already waiting in the wings for his chance, the UFC instead opted to allow 'The Last Stylebender' his chance for champ-champ status. As a result, Teixeira and the rest of the division had to wait for their chance for gold.
Further in the conversation, Rakic also discussed his feud with top contender Jiri Prochazka. The rivalry erupted after Rakic felt it was unjust for Prochazka to be given a title shot after only two fights in the UFC.
Watch the full interview with Aleksandar Rakic on the Michael Bisping podcast below:
Aleksandar Rakic will square off against former UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz
Aleksandar Rakic is all set to return to the octagon in March 2022.
According to a report by MMA journalist Ariel Helwani, the fight is scheduled to take place on March 26th.
This will be Rakic's 8th fight under the UFC banner. 'Rocket' has won six of his seven appearances in the promotion. The 29-year-old holds victories over Anthony Smith, Thiago Santos and Jimi Manuwa.
Jan Blachowicz, on the other hand, will be making his first appearance in the octagon since losing his title to Glover Teixeira at UFC 267. Previously, at UFC 259, the 38-year-old faced current UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.
He defeated 'The Last Stylebender' in the latter's bid for champ-champ status. 'Polish Power' defeated the the middleweight champion via unanimous decision and sent Adesanya back down to 185lbs.
Rakic is currently the No.3-ranked fighter in the UFC's light heavyweight division. A win over Blachowicz would almost certainly propel the Austrian to a title shot.
