Aleksandar Rakic gives heartwarming speech after heavyweight debut against Marcin Tybura at UFC Belgrade

Aleksandar Rakic made a heartwarming speech after his return to the win column on home turf at the historic first-ever UFC event in Serbia on August 1. 

Rakic, who was born to a Serbian family in Austria, made his long-awaited heavyweight divisional debut against perennial heavyweight contender Marcin Tybura. They clashed in a three-round matchup on the main card portion of the UFC Belgrade event at the Belgrade Arena in the Serbian city of Belgrade. 

Aleksandar Rakic cites four-fight losing streak after triumphant heavyweight debut against Marcin Tybura at UFC Belgrade

Aleksandar Rakic managed to outwork Poland's Marcin Tybura for a unanimous decision win, securing scores of 30-27 on all three official judges' scorecards. It marked Tybura's third loss in a row. Meanwhile, Rakic spoke to UFC legend and commentator-cum-interviewer Michael Bisping inside the octagon. 

Amid raucous cheers from his compatriots, "Rocket" expressed his delight. The devout Christian fighter stated, "Man, this -- everybody need to feel this happiness once in their lives, but not many of them can feel it. I'm so happy. Thank God. Jesus Christ." 

Addressing the fact that he entered UFC Belgrade on the back of four consecutive defeats, Rakic said, "I'm really happy. I've been preparing myself for a really long time. I had a hard time coming off four losses, fighting for my job here. Especially with this crowd, I knew that I cannot lose." 

Bisping chimed in and pointed out that he just beat the No. 13-ranked Marcin Tybura. "The Count" asked him whom he'd like to fight next, to which Rakic asserted that he's always said yes to any opponent UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard has offered him since the beginning of his UFC career. 

The 34-year-old affirmed that he fought the absolute best in the light heavyweight division and plans to do the same at heavyweight as well. He added, "This will not change. It's a new chapter for me. And what a beginning." 

Watch Aleksandar Rakic's moving conversation with Michael Bisping below: 

Aleksandar Rakic's UFC Belgrade win marked his first since 2021

Heading into UFC Belgrade, Aleksandar Rakic's most recent MMA victory was a unanimous decision win over Thiago Santos back in March of 2021. The points verdict over Santos was followed by a four-fight, five-year winless streak for Rakic. 

He faced former UFC light heavyweight titleholder Jan Blachowicz in May of 2022 and lost via a knee injury-induced TKO. Rakic recovered and returned to the octagon in April of 2024, but he fell by way of TKO against ex-UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka.

Following that, Rakic faced the now-former UFC light heavyweight titlist Magomed Ankalaev -- before Ankalaev won UFC gold -- in October of that year. He ended up on the wrong end of a unanimous decision verdict against Ankalaev. "Rocket" was then beaten by Azamat Murzakanov via TKO in October of last year. 

Nevertheless, Rakic has now managed to not only notch a win and end his losing streak, but also do so at a higher weight class, the fearsome UFC heavyweight division.