Aleksandar Rakic earns heavyweight debut win, outpoints Marcin Tybura in Belgrade

Aleksandar Rakic returned to the winner’s circle in a meaningful way on Saturday in Belgrade, registering his first UFC victory in more than five years. Fighting at heavyweight for the first time in his UFC career, Rakic outpointed Marcin Tybura in a heavyweight debut billed as a fresh chapter for the former light heavyweight contender.

The result mattered on two levels. For Rakic, it snapped a prolonged win drought that dated back to his last UFC win in March 2021, according to the event recap. For Tybura, a long-tenured heavyweight, the fight served as another late-career test against a fighter trying to reset his UFC future with a division change.

UFC Fight Night 283 in Belgrade provided the setting for Rakic’s shift in weight class. The fight reached a decision, with Rakic credited with the outpointing performance over Tybura. While the bout’s broader tactical story cannot be fully detailed from the published summary alone, the scoring outcome itself confirmed Rakic’s ability to compete and finish the full 15 minutes at the top level of heavyweight MMA.

Rakic’s heavyweight debut also carried significance in the division’s ongoing reshuffle. The heavyweight landscape continues to reward fighters who can blend size with credible skill sets, and moving down or up weight can alter the pace, striking angles, and grappling pressure. With a decision win in hand, Rakic’s profile inside the UFC’s heavyweight conversation changes, at least in the near term.

For Tybura, the matchup represented the familiar challenge of fighting elite-level opponents who arrive with clear momentum or, in this case, a desperate need to reestablish themselves. Although the bout did not go his way, Tybura’s status as a veteran heavyweight opponent remains part of what makes decision losses notable at this stage. Rakic’s win suggests he was able to manage the kinds of threats Tybura has built a career on, even if the particulars are not spelled out in the available coverage.

Looking ahead, Rakic’s victory raises the immediate question of what role heavyweight will play in his UFC plan. A first win at a new weight class typically invites attention to what comes next, but the exact ranking implications and matchup path depend on how the UFC evaluates results across the division. Rakic’s decision win in Belgrade is the headline takeaway, and it gives him a platform to build from as the heavyweight picture moves forward.