UFC 308 has the entire world of mixed martial arts on the edge of their seats with an ever-so-exciting card. As the UFC makes a return to Abu Dhabi, one of the fights that the fighting community has eagerly waited for is the one between Khamzat Chimaev and Robert Whittaker. After all, their previous fight was scrapped just days before the scheduled date, because of ‘Borz’s sickness. But UFC 308 has another entity that has kept the fans’ entropy high. And no! It’s not related to the main event at all.

If you guessed it from the title already, it’s indeed Aleksandar Rakić. The Austrian fighter is set to go up against Magomed Ankalaev in the main card for the event. The ‘Rocket’ has been garnering quite a bit of attention with his huge physique for quite some time now. In reality, the #5 light heavyweight contender is one of the most shredded fighters in the MMA promotion. 

But just a few days before the fight, he had a picture taken together with the Chechen Wolf. And the size difference between the two of them was pretty significant. The Austrian light heavyweight shared the picture on his IG Story, where he donned a jersey of Nikola Jokic and posed with a closed fist beside Chimaev. Soon, the picture traversed various social media platforms and found its way to X as MMA Orbit shared it on their profile. The caption to the post read, “Khamzat Chimaev and Aleksandar Rakic pose for a photo together ahead of their returns at #UFC308.”

The winner of Rakic vs Ankalaev will likely fight champion Alex Pereira for the light heavyweight title next. So it’s no surprise that Rakic turned his training up to eleven and is looking in the best shape he could be. He arguably lost out on the same opportunity after losing to Jiri Prochazka at UFC 300. ‘Rocket’ surely does not want that to happen twice in a row.

The same holds true for the undefeated Chimaev. With a win over ‘The Reaper’ he could be fighting for the middleweight title in his next fight, although he may not be the next fighter champion Dricus Du Plessis is facing. ‘Borz’ might be able to comfortably sit and wait for the winner of the rumored Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland rematch. So, he too is leaving no stones unturned and was looking in terrific shape ahead of the Abu Dhabi outing this weekend.

As soon as the picture was released on X, the fighting community took over the comments section to reveal their thoughts. Let’s see what the fight fans had to say about the picture.

Khamzat Chimaev gets sidelined by Aleksandar Rakić’s giant physique

One of the fight fans pointed out the difference in the size of the two fighters. After all, Rakic was a light heavyweight fighter standing beside a former welterweight contender. The comment read, “Rakic is f—ing huge.” Some of the fans even noted the Denver Nuggets’ star player’s jersey on Rakić’s torso. One fan wrote, “He’s in front of one of the best, and wearing the jersey of one of the bests. Awesome.” Meanwhile, another fan wondered how a fight against Ankalaev got the Austrian so much attention. The comment went, “Rakic suddenly has a horde of new fans after it was announced he’s fighting Magomed.”

The praise for Rakić kept on coming through the comments. A fan commented, “man i like rakic so much. wish him luck. really not bad guy. Ank waiting his shot years for now. would be frustraiting to lose but whoever wins congrats.”

The goodwill happened to touch Khamzat Chimaev, as well. But the only thing that hurdled Chimaev’s victory against Robert Whittaker, was the Swedish fighter’s apparent lack of discipline. The comment continued, “chimaev is a beast. we saw  holes in his cardio games and discipline. if he stays disciplined he will dsstroy whittiker.” As the discussion in the comments section continued, a fan pointed out the only way that can ensure Chimaev’s victory – “Khamzat’s only chance of winning is on the ground.”

However, a few others seemed to believe that they would both face defeat at UFC 308. One fan wrote, “Both lose this coming weekend.” Meanwhile, another comment read, “Both of them will lose to Whittaker and Magomed respectively.”

What are your thoughts on the picture? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.