"Let's see if the Samurai has the balls" - Aleksandar Rakic challenges Jiri Prochazka after hinting at Jan Blachowicz's withdrawal from UFC 297

Aleksandar Rakic was set to rematch Jan Blachowicz at UFC 297 on January 20 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada. That fight, however, appears to have fallen through.

Rakic recently took to X (formerly Twitter) to announce that his opponent had pulled out of the fight, and challenged former light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka to replace Blachowicz.

Rakic wrote:

"You can never lose a rematch when you pull out for the second time. Legendary Bullshit. Let's see if the Samurai has the balls to step up on Jan 20th. @Mickmaynard2 @danawhite"

Check out Aleksandar Rakic's tweet here:

While there is no official confirmation from Blachowicz's side, Rakic's tweet does appear to suggest that Blachowicz is out of UFC 297, and Rakic's search for a new opponent has begun.

Prochazka, who recently fought at UFC 295 on November 11th, may be hesitant to accept the bout, given the quick turnaround. Furthermore, Prochazka's loss to Alex Pereira, the reigning light heavyweight champion, was his first fight after a long lay off due to a shoulder injury.

As a result, it's not clear who Rakic will face at UFC 297. If he does end up facing Prochazka, it may very well be a number one contender fight, and the winner could end up facing 'Poatan' later in 2024.

With Jamahal Hill also sidelined, things may line up perfectly for Rakic if he manages to secure the Prochazka fight for UFC 297.

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Aleksandar Rakic previously named Islam Makhachev the #1 P4P fighter in the world

Islam Makhachev scored arguably the most impressive victory of his career when he defeated Alexander Volkanovski for the second time at UFC 294. While their first fight was close, Makhachev left no doubt the second time around with a stunning knockout of Volkanovski.

Even though Volkanovski accepted the bout on short notice and many expected Makhachev to take home the win, few foresaw the stunning headkick Makhachev landed.

In the aftermath of the fight, Aleksandar Rakic took to X to praise Makhachev, and wrote:

"Contender of the Knockout of the year. What a finish by @MAKHACHEVMMA The No.1 Pound for Pound fighter in the world. #UFC294"