On this day in 2019, Aleksandar Rakic proved to be one of the most dangerous strikers in the UFC light heavyweight division.
UFC light heavyweight Jimi Manuwa was once on the verge of a title shot before a career-ending losing skid left him just short of a championship opportunity. But after three losses to former title challengers Jan Blachowicz, Volkan Oezdemir, and Thiago Santos, Manuwa faced another dangerous foe in Aleksandar Rakic.
Manuwa and Rakic featured at UFC Stockholm, on a card headlined by two of Jon Jones’s former rivals. The winner would’ve moved one step closer to a potential title shot, especially with a standout finish.
With everything on the line, Manuwa’s struggles continued against one of the division’s toughest puzzles.
Aleksandar Rakic caught Jimi Manuwa with a gruesome head kick KO
Rakic didn’t need long to overwhelm Manuwa on the feet, as the UK standout struggled to find his rhythm and timing inside the Octagon. As Rakic noticed Manuwa keeping his hands low off of a counter, he followed it up with a vicious head kick that landed flush to knock Manuwa unconscious.
Watch Rakic earn the 42-second finish below.
Manuwa announced his retirement from MMA shortly after the loss to Rakic, ending his career on a four-fight losing streak. Manuwa earned wins over the likes of Blachowicz, Ovince Saint-Preux, and Corey Anderson during his UFC tenure.
Rakic’s victory capped off a 12-fight winning streak after dropping his professional MMA debut. But Rakic would then suffer a controversial split decision loss to Oezdemir just months later to fall out of title contention.
Jimi Manuwa never earned a UFC title fight after Daniel Cormier called him out
Manuwa’s late slide in the light heavyweight division is one of the UFC’s forgotten stories. Before his late-career struggles, Manuwa was coined as a potential future champion, garnering the attention of Daniel Cormier.
After Cormier defeated Oezdemir at UFC 220, he immediately called out Manuwa, who was sitting cageside ready to make his case for a title shot. The two traded barbs on the microphone, but unfortunately that was the closest the fight would get to coming to fruition.
Cormier went on to make the full-time move to heavyweight to challenge Stipe Miocic, knocking him out in the first round in the UFC Hall of Famer’s ascent to two-weight world champion. Cormier retired from MMA in 2020 after losing in his trilogy bout against Miocic.
Manuwa began his career with 14-straight wins before a loss to former title challenger Alexander Gustafsson in March 2014. Meanwhile, Rakic remains active in the UFC and is expected to return to the cage later this year.