UFC Injury: “I Was Really Afraid” – Staph Infection Threatened UFC 300 Bout Cancellation Against Jiri Prochazka, Admits Aleksandar Rakic

Aleksandar Rakic started off his UFC 300 bout against Jiri Prochazka remarkably well. ‘Rocket’, known for starting off fights aggressively, lived up to his moniker and landed more than twice the strikes than Prochazka in the first round.

By the three-minute mark of the second round, however, he was down on the ground being pummelled with hammer-fists by the former light heavyweight champion. Referee Herb Dean stepped in and stopped the bout soon after. And the Austrian has revealed the reason that led to the quick turn in fortune.

Aleksandar Rakic reveals he had staph infection

Speaking after his UFC 300 loss to Jiri Prochazka, Aleksandar Rakic shed more light on the reasons behind his victory. The ethnic Serb revealed that just three days before the Las Vegas anniversary mega-card, he had contracted a staph infection.

He was afraid the bout would be canceled and thus took strong antibiotics to try and quickly combat the ailment. This, according to him, negatively affected his gas tank and thus his performance.

“[It was] Wednesday/Thursday when the elbow got infected… I was really in pain on Wednesday. I was really afraid that the doctor from the UFC would cancel my fight. I was given very strong antibiotics. Friday evening when we trained I felt a little different than last time. A few times I got tired quicker… on Saturday I started to feel that my legs were getting tired a little quicker than normal.

However, he was quick to claim that he was not using it as an excuse and congratulated the Czech on his victory. “Congratulations to Jiri, and I really don’t want to say that the infection was an excuse, but it obviously affected me a bit and that I can’t 100% exploit my full potential,” he added. With UFC 300 in the rear-view mirror, there is one question on many fans’ minds:

What next for Aleksandar Rakic after UFC 300 loss?

Aleksandar Rakic may have found himself fighting for the 205-pound title if he had won his UFC 300 clash against Jiri Prochazka. While the Austrian had lost his last fight to Jan Blachowicz two years ago, it was due to a freak injury as he tore the tendon in his knee in the bout.

However, the loss to ‘BJP’ has closed the door on that possibility. But, the ethnic Serb still may have another potential bout against another former champion lined up after what happened at UFC 300. At the top of the marquee card, champion Alex Pereira defeated former champion Jamahal Hill to defend his 205-pound title for the first time.

And a Jamahal Hill vs. Aleksandar Rakic bout makes a lot of sense for both men as well as the division given the 205-pound landscape. Since both men are ranked in the top 5, coming off losses that were caused, in part due to an injury or infection they were carrying into UFC 300 (Hill had broken his toe two weeks before facing ‘Poatan’), the UFC may choose to have them fight. The winner may find themselves one or two (or even three) steps from a title shot depending upon future developments in the division.