Losses to two former champions and a number one contender are not shameful, but Serbia's Aleksandar Rakic has taken those three defeats back-to-back-to-back.
After his latest loss, a decision against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 308, it is time for the 32-year-old light-heavyweight to take a step back in the rankings and stop fighting the best of the best.
After all, despite a good first round against Jiri Prochazka, he ended up finished by strikes. That came right after his knee exploded due to a checked leg kick against Jan Blachowicz.
Now with Ankalaev confidently out-maneuvering him at UFC 308, Rakic clearly belongs one tier behind these top 205ers.
However, the fighters below his fifth spot in the rankings are mostly booked. Other than Khalil Rountree Jr, who just fought, the seven fighters after that are already scheduled for fights in the upcoming months.
'Rocket' could fight the winner of a fight like Nikita Krykov vs Azamat Murzakanov or Carlos Ulberg vs Volkan Oezdemir, but really putting him against Rountree may make the most sense.
Khalil was ranked lower, as the eighth fighter at light-heavyweight, before he lost in a title fight against Alex Pereira. Despite being TKOed in the fourth round, the Muay Thai specialist got bumped up in the rankings for a valiant effort against a dominant champ.
Now, this striker vs striker matchup could thrill fans on any fight card, as Khalil's aggressive style should force Rakic to not keep his own explosiveness in check. Perhaps Aleksandar will look to use his wrestling as he has in five of his last six UFC outings, but with a career 23% takedown accuracy it will not be any opponent's primary concern.
The winner will be able to build themselves back up towards a title shot, while the loser will be in their thirties with a losing streak to their name. As a result, this fight is key for both men, not that any other fight would be unimportant for them.
