Getty Aleksandar Rakic
No. 3-ranked UFC light heavyweight Aleksandar Rakic said he was sucker-punched by his former opponent Jimi Manuwa on Saturday.
Both men were in attendance for the promotion’s London event at the O2 Arena. In a video Rakic shared to social media, he claimed that the man he sent to retirement via KO in 2019 hit him while he was attempting to leave the venue.
“Jimi Manuwa, you piece of s***,” Rakic said via MMA Junkie. “You son of a b****. What a p**** move you did last night on me. Guys, I would just let you know that after the event at UFC London, the security was escorting me to the transfer back to the hotel, and ‘Mr. Still Sleep’ was sitting in my row at the end of the row, so I needed to pass by. And I pass by and he talked to me something – I didn’t really pay attention. I have nothing to do with that guy. For me, this is over. So I started to turn away and he sucker-punched me. And even in that close range he couldn’t catch my head. I think he caught me with the forearm on my neck.
“The security was so fast here and they separated us. Man, what a f****** p**** move. You knew that I would be alone in London by myself. You know that I had surgery nine weeks ago and you did this. Man, you’re such a bad loser. I want the people to know what a piece of s*** you are. I’m going to stay in your head forever. I retired you, I knocked you out and the world saw that. So happy retirement, ‘Mr. Sleep.’”
Rakic is currently recovering after undergoing ACL surgery from a knee injury stemming from his bout with Jan Blachowicz in May. The contest was waved off after Rakic blew out his knee during the third round of their headlining act.
Manuwa Responded to Rakic’s Claim, Appears to Admit to ‘Slapping’ Rakic
Manuwa hasn’t competed since Rakic put him out with a head kick in June 2019. The Englishman retired after the KO, which was his fourth defeat in a row. In response to Rakic’s sucker-punch claim, Manuwa sent MMA Junkie a text message, writing: “The fight is the fight. Talking s*** online after the fight warrants a slap.”
Manuwa also took to Twitter, saying that Rakic had been trash-talking him online well after their fight concluded. And it appears “Poster Boy” made good on a “promise” he made to Rakic.
“The fight is the fight and we all win and lose which is part of it,” Manuwa tweeted.”When u try to talk s*** months after the fight on twitter like every one of the keyboard warriors I promised you I will slap you when I see you. I saw you last night, how dare u think I wouldn’t @rakic_ufc.”
Manuwa Tried to Become Light Heavyweight’s No. 1 Contender in 2017
At one point Manuwa appeared to be on his way to challenging for UFC 205-pound gold. He took on Volkan Oezdemir in 2017 in what was billed as a title eliminator with the winner taking on then-champion Daniel Cormier.
Unfortunately for Manuwa, Oezdemir snapped his two-fight win streak by knockout, which was also the first loss of his four-fight skid that led to Poster Boy’s retirement.