Aleksandar Rakic excited to show new skills against former teammate Thiago Santos at UFC 259

Light heavyweight contender Aleksandar Rakic says he’s excited for his upcoming fight at UFC 259 against his former teammate Thiago Santos.

Rakic takes on Santos next month in an important matchup between top-five fighters in the UFC light heavyweight division. On paper, it’s an exciting matchup between two men who love to stand and strikes. What makes it even more intriguing is that Rakic and Santos were former training partners at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida. The two bought at UFC 231 in December 2018 and ended up doing some training at ATT. But according to Rakic, he’s a much better fighter now than he was back when Santos trained with him.

Speaking to Line Movement’s James Lynch, Rakic spoke about his upcoming matchup and explained why he’s so excited to go in there and prove himself.

"I'm a different fighter than the last time I trained with him" 👊@Rakic_UFC on training with #UFC259 opponent Thiago Santos in 2018 via @LynchOnSports

Full interview: https://t.co/ybfwpsbNL1 pic.twitter.com/fx7vN7voI8

— Line_Movement (@Line_Movement) February 12, 2021

“I know Santos from 2018. I met him at American Top Team and we were training together. We did a camp together at the same time. We fought in the same event in Toronto. I fought against Devin Clark and he fought against Jimi Manuwa. I never sparred with him in MMA but we did some grappling and wrestling, and yeah, I felt like body and I felt him, so I know how he feels. But you know, two-and-a-half-years is a long time and I can say for myself I’ve improved and I’m a different fighter than the last time I trained with him. I’ve improved all my skills and I’m more dangerous than that. It’s going to be an interesting fight for both of us. I hope I meet the best Thiago on March 6 because I will be the best version of myself,” Rakic said.

Rakic (13-2) is coming off of a dominant win over Anthony Smith last August, which came following a split decision loss to Volkan Oezdemir. Overall, he is 5-1 in the UFC and ranked No. 4 in the world at light heavyweight. As for Santos (21-8), he is the No. 2 ranked light heavyweight in the UFC. Overall, the Brazilian has a 13-7 record since joining the promotion back in 2013.

Who do you think wins this upcoming light heavyweight bout between Aleksandar Rakic and Thiago Santos?