Aleksandar Rakic, Thiago Santos booked for key UFC light heavyweight bout on March 6

A pair of light heavyweight contenders will clash in March when Aleksandar Rakic takes on Thiago Santos.

Rakic (13-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) and Santos (21-8 MMA, 13-7 UFC) have agreed to meet on the UFC’s March 6 event, which does not have an official location, venue or broadcast plans.

MMA Junkie verified the pairing with multiple people close to the matchup following an initial report from UFC broadcast partner ESPN. The people requested anonymity because UFC has yet to make an official announcement.

Rakic is coming off the biggest win of his career. He beat Anthony Smith by decision at UFC Fight Night+ 33 in August.

Santos will make a quick turnaround from his submission loss to Glover Teixeira at UFC on ESPN 17 this past Saturday. It was the Brazilian’s first fight since double knee surgeries, which were injuries sustained in his split decision defeat to Jon Jones at UFC 239 in July 2019.