“My last three opponents were former champions and in those last three fights, I put on a good performance in all three,” offered Rakic, who currently sits at No. 7 in the light heavyweight rankings, three spots ahead of his UFC 321 adversary. “I didn’t get out-struck, out-wrestled, or out-grappled. Against Jiri, he finished me, but I was leading before that and was really sick at that time; I have never been so tired in one fight.”
And it’s against that backdrop of who he’s faced and the men he’s beaten that Rakic sees himself having a considerable edge over the undefeated but largely unproven Murzakanov on Saturday.
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“Azamat is 15-0 and of course the UFC wants to build him, but I will welcome him to the Top 10, and after this performance, my title run starts again,” Rakic said with a smirk. “I had tougher opponents, better competition.
“He has a perfect record, but not to disrespect his opponents, but you compare his opponents and my opponents, it’s black and white. He’s undefeated for a reason; he does some things very well, but like I said, ‘Welcome to the Top 10.’
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