“I’m cutting weight already 20 years,” began Aleksandar Rakić, the long-tenured light heavyweight who makes the shift to the heavyweight division this weekend in a bout with divisional mainstay Marcin Tybura as part of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night main card at Belgrade Arena. “I started with kickboxing at 14, and even at that time, I was cutting one, two kilos. Year by year, I’m growing, becoming heavier. The last cuts were 38, 39 pounds in total.
“I’m pretty good at cutting weight, but still, the body remembers that and after every weight cut, I need another two months to recover from the weight cut,” continued the 34-year-old, explaining the main reason for his relocating to heavyweight. “I worked with the doctors and they told me, ‘It’s not the healthiest cutting weight anymore because you want to have a life after the career.’ And let’s be honest: I am not a small guy.
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“I was a big light heavyweight, I have the height, I have the reach, I have the weight, and I don’t have any issue with my strength. I just have benefits of my speed, my explosiveness, my agility, so I just see benefits moving up.
“And I’m enjoying Fight Week finally!” he added with a laugh. “I’m enjoying every second! I eat what I want. I can drink when I want. I go to training full of energy. I’m enjoying every second of it.”
There has been a wave of talent from the light heavyweight division testing the waters at heavyweight of late, including two-time champion Alex Pereira, and everyone approaches the shift differently.
