Aleksandar Rakic has announced himself as a force in the UFC's light heavyweight division with a loud crack.
The Austrian fighter landed a violent left head kick on Jimi Manuwa with a brutal sound to win by knockout at 42 seconds of the first round Saturday in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night in Stockholm, Sweden. Manuwa, a former top contender at 205 pounds, was the best opponent Rakic had faced by far. And Rakic passed the test with flying colors.
"My time will come, and you have to remember my name," Rakic said. "Remember my name, because I am the new dog in the park."
The left head-kick came at the end of a three-strike combination. Manuwa seemed to not see it coming. Rakic referred to that technique as his "special weapon."
"I beat Jimi, he is ranked No. 11 [at light heavyweight]," Rakic said, referring to the UFC's rankings. "So I deserve a chance to get his place. There are just a few guys in front of me in the rankings."
Rakic (11-1) has won all four of his fights in the UFC, the last two by first-round knockout. The 6-foot-4 Muay Thai fighter's winning streak is second to that of Dominick Reyes (11-0 overall, five wins in UFC) among active UFC light heavyweights. Rakic, 27, has won 12 in a row overall after losing his pro debut in 2011. This was his ninth career knockout or TKO, seven of which have come in the first round.
Manuwa (17-6) has lost four in a row, making him the first UFC light heavyweight to do so since Henrique Silva in 2017. The England native, who trains out of Stockholm, was lined up for a title shot after knockouts of Corey Anderson and Ovince Saint Preux in 2016 and 2017, but has not won since. Manuwa, 39, has been knocked out in three of these last four defeats.
In other fights:
Makwan Amirkhani def. Chris Fishgold by second-round submission
Amirkhani had talked leading into this fight about how much he has worked on his striking, taking amateur boxing matches in his time off from the Octagon. In the end, though, it was his trademark grappling that got him the win. Fishgold dropped for a guillotine in the second round, but Amirkhani countered, reversed to top position and locked in a nasty squeeze on an anaconda choke to finish at 4:25. It was his 10th career submission win, eight of which have been by choke.
Amirkhani landed a takedown in the first round and likely won that one, too. Fishgold might have had the upper hand standing up, but "Mr. Finland" prevailed with wrestling and grappling.
Amirkhani (15-3) has won two in a row, but this was his first fight back in 13 months. The 30-year-old has just one loss in his last seven fights and seems to have upward mobility in the featherweight division. Fishgold (18-3-1), the 26-year-old England native, has lost two of three in the UFC.
Christos Giagos def. Damir Hadzovic by unanimous decision
Christos Giagos scores a pair of takedowns in the first round vs. Damir Hadzovic. For more UFC on ESPN+, sign up here http://plus.espn.com/ufc.
Giagos is known for his kickboxing, but his ability to mix in takedowns -- with a liberal sprinkling in of hard combinations -- is what earned him the unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-28). Giagos took down Hadzovic twice in each of the first two rounds, and when Hadzovic got to his feet, Giagos was in his face, throwing punches and kicks. Hadzovic finally got top position on a tired Giagos in the third, but it was too little, too late.
Giagos (17-7) has won two in a row and six of his past eight. The 29-year-old California native has strung together a winning streak for the first time since 2017.
Hadzovic (13-5), a 32-year-old Denmark resident, had a two-fight winning streak in the lightweight division snapped.
Daniel Teymur def. Sung Bin Jo by unanimous decision
Teymur couldn't keep up his ferocious first-round output, which resulted in several strikes that wobbled Jo. But the Swedish fighter was able to land more significant shots the rest of the way to nab the unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28). Teymur was great at taking Jo down when the South Korean got too close. And when Teymur pressed forward and got inside the 6-foot Jo's range, he was able to land combinations. Jo landed a big knee and some hard counter rights, but Teymur was far more active.
Teymur (7-3) snapped a three-fight losing streak, and the 31-year-old "Kid Dynamite" earned his first UFC victory. Jo (9-1), the 26-year-old kickboxer, was making his UFC debut.
Sergey Khandozhko def. Rostem Akman by unanimous decision
Sergey Khandozhko does just enough to defeat Rostem Akman by unanimous decision. For more UFC action, sign up for ESPN+ http://plus.espn.com/ufc.
Khandozhko found himself in some hairy situations against Akman, a short-notice opponent. But the Russian fighter found a way to pull out the unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28). Akman hurt Kandozhko in the first round and kept the pressure on throughout. But Khandozhko dropped Akman with a combination in the second and wobbled him with a left hook coming out of a clinch in the third.
Khandozhko (27-5-1) has won three straight. The 27-year-old was making his UFC debut here. Akman (6-1), a 27-year-old Swede, was filling in for Bartosz Fabinski.
Lina Lansberg def. Tonya Evinger by unanimous decision
Lansberg had perhaps the best performance of her career in her home country. "Elbow Queen" landed plenty of those en route to a dominant unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-26) over Evinger, the former Invicta champion, in a bantamweight bout. Lansberg opened a cut on the side of Evinger's left eye with an elbow in the first and was able to get top position and drop ground-and-pound in every round.
"This is better than winning the world championship," Lansberg said. "This is my home. This really means the world to me."
Lansberg (9-4) has won three of five since a loss to Cris Cyborg. The 37-year-old was a +230 underdog against Evinger.
Evinger (19-9), a 37-year-old Texas resident, has lost three straight and is still seeking her first UFC win.
Leonardo Santos def. Stevie Ray by first-round knockout
Comebacks don't get much better than this. Santos had not fought in 966 days, a span of nearly three years, due to injury. In his return, the former Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion starched Ray with a counter right hand, finishing at 2:17 of the first round. Santos was so excited afterward that he ran out of the cage, all the way through the crowd and out of the arena. He was eventually brought back for the result to be announced.
"After three years out, I come back," Santos said. "I come back."
Santos (16-3-1) has never lost in the UFC, a streak of six wins in a row. The Nova Uniao product is tied for fifth in longest active winning streak in the lightweight division. Santos, 39, has not lot a fight since 2009.
Ray (22-9), a 29-year-old Scotland native, has lost three of four.
Frank Camacho def. Nick Hein by second-round TKO
Frank Camacho hurts Nick Hein with a flurry of bone-crunching shots to the body. For more UFC action, sign up for ESPN+ http://plus.espn.com/ufc.
Known more as a brawler, Camacho put forth an extremely technical performance in this lightweight bout, focusing on consistent, hard right kicks to Hein's body. The finish came at 4:56 of the second round when Camacho landed a big combination on Hein, who was already wilting after being punished to the body time and again.
Hein had his moments in the first, damaging Camacho's left eye with big left hands. But Camacho invested in the body kicks, and they paid major dividends.
Camacho (22-7) snapped a two-fight losing streak with his 17th career TKO/KO, first in the UFC. The 30-year-old Guam native was moving down from welterweight for this fight.
Hein (14-5-1), a 35-year-old Germany native, has lost three straight.
Bea Malecki def. Duda Santana by second-round submission
Sweden's Bea Malecki flips the script in the second round and gets Duda Santana in a chokehold. For more UFC action, sign up for ESPN+ http://plus.espn.com/ufc.
After a tough first round, Malecki rallied in her hometown. The Sweden native got into mount right off a takedown, took Santana's back and cinched in a rear-naked choke to finish at 1:59 of the second round. Santana had used a takedown and some sharp striking to win the first five minutes.
Malecki (2-0) was competing in just her second official pro fight. She fell in the Ultimate Fighter 28 tournament to Leah Letson last year. Malecki, 27, is considered a prospect in the shallow women's featherweight division. Santana (3-1), a 22-year-old Brazil native, was making her UFC debut.
Devin Clark def. Darko Stosic by unanimous decision
Devin Clark defeats Darko Stosic by unanimous decision in a fight that included big strikes from both fighters. For more UFC action, sign up for ESPN+ http://plus.espn.com/ufc.
In a back-and-forth light heavyweight slugfest, Clark outlasted Stosic, sealing the unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) victory by landing bigger shots in the third round. Clark started fast, dropping Stosic in the first. But Stosic came back to rock Clark with a right hand in that round and landed a big slam in the second. Both men were tired in the third, but Clark did a bit more to earn the win, getting through with clubbing right hands.
Clark (10-3) has won three of five, while Stosic (13-2), the protégé of Mirko Cro Cop, had a nine-fight winning streak snapped.
Joel Alvarez def. Danilo Belluardo by second-round TKO
Joel Alvarez lands several big punches to the head of Danilo Belluardo, but the horn sounds for the end of Round 1. To watch on ESPN+, sign up here http://plus.espn.com/ufc.
Alvarez got trapped on the bottom in the first round of the lightweight opener, but did not let that happen again in the second. After a Belluardo takedown, Alvarez got a sweep, trapped Belluardo's arm and dropped hard elbows to his face. The finish came at 2:22.
Alvarez (16-2) bounced back from a loss in his UFC debut, while debutante Belluardo (12-4) had a six-fight winning streak snapped.