Aleksandar Rakic surprised Jon Jones vacated belt, but says he has nothing to prove

While Aleksandar Rakic admits that he was surprised to see Jon Jones relinquish his UFC light heavyweight title, he gets where he’s coming from.

Jones, a two-time UFC light heavyweight champion, ran through generations of the 205-pound division and has decided to move on to try his hand at heavyweight.

Rakic never got his shot at Jones, but considering his incredible accolades in the division, Rakic thinks Jones has more than earned his right to pursue a new chapter in his career.

“Yes, I was very surprised, but I understand Jon,” Rakic told MMA Junkie. “(He has) so many title defenses in the light heavyweight division, and I think Jon wants a new challenge – and the next challenge is the heavyweights. Also, a new era of fighters in the light heavyweight division are coming – like me, like other guys, and he did so many things in the light heavyweight division. He doesn’t need to prove anybody anything in this division. So I understand why he moved to heavyweight. Maybe he’ll come back if the new champion is crowned. Maybe he’ll come back for a comeback fight, so let’s see.”

Now that the title is up for grabs, Dominick Reyes and Jan Blachowicz are set to fight for it at UFC 253. On the other side of the bracket are two pivotal matchups, including Rakic’s UFC on ESPN+ 33 headliner vs. Anthony Smith on Saturday, which could determine the next No. 1 contender.

“Reyes and Jan, they really deserve the fight for the title,” Rakic said. “An interesting one is also Thiago Santos against Glover Teixeira, and also me against Smith. So those three fights, when they’re going to end, we’re going to see what happens and we’re going to see who is the first challenger of the winner of Reyes and Jan.”

The matchup between Teixeira and Santos will likely determine the next title challenger, but Rakic knows that with a big performance Saturday, he could potentially leapfrog the other contenders.

“I need to make a statement on Saturday and I need to shock the world once again with my performance, and let’s see what happens next,” Rakic said. “Now I’m focusing 100 percent on Anthony, and after Saturday, when the fight ends and I get my hand raised, then I’m going to decide what I’m going to do and what I’m going to say to the community.”

UFC on ESPN+ 33 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.