Ultimate Fighting Calendar
UFCUFC 259: Blachowicz vs Adesanya
Light Heavyweight3 rounds scheduled
Thiago Santos
BrazilThiago Santos
“Marreta”
22-11-0
RESULT

Aleksandar Rakic def. Thiago Santos (Unanimous Decision)

Unanimous Decision · Round 3 · 5:00
WIN
Aleksandar Rakic
Aleksandar Rakic
“Rocket”
14-6-0
Saturday, March 6, 2021
Meta Apex, Las Vegas, United States

Aleksandar Rakic defeated Thiago Santos by Unanimous Decision in round 3 (5:00) in the Light Heavyweight bout of UFC 259: Blachowicz vs Adesanya, held Saturday, March 6, 2021 at Meta Apex, Las Vegas.

Fight stats

Thiago Santos
Aleksandar Rakic
0
Knockdowns
0
49 of 97
Significant strikes
36 of 89
51%
Sig. strike accuracy
40%
61 of 109
Total strikes
50 of 103
0 of 1
Takedowns
0 of 2
0%
Takedown accuracy
0%
0
Submission attempts
0
0
Reversals
0
0:00
Control time
2:32
Significant strikes by target
10 of 41
Head
8 of 47
23 of 33
Body
13 of 16
16 of 23
Leg
15 of 26
35 of 82
Distance
29 of 82
14 of 15
Clinch
7 of 7
0 of 0
Ground
0 of 0

By round

ROUND 1
0
KD
0
15 of 27
Sig. str.
14 of 30
15 of 27
Total str.
14 of 30
0 of 0
Takedowns
0 of 0
0
Sub. att
0
0:00
Ctrl
0:00
ROUND 2
0
KD
0
11 of 31
Sig. str.
15 of 35
18 of 38
Total str.
24 of 44
0 of 0
Takedowns
0 of 0
0
Sub. att
0
0:00
Ctrl
1:11
ROUND 3
0
KD
0
23 of 39
Sig. str.
7 of 24
28 of 44
Total str.
12 of 29
0 of 1
Takedowns
0 of 2
0
Sub. att
0
0:00
Ctrl
1:21

Judges' Scorecards

Eric Colón
#SantosRakic
1910
2910
3109
Total2829
Dave Hagen
#SantosRakic
1910
2910
3109
Total2829
Ron McCarthy
#SantosRakic
1910
2910
3910
Total2730

Media Scores

1
Santos
–
17
Rakic
●29–28 Rakic×15●30–27 Rakic×2●29–28 Santos
All 18 media scorecards▾

Fan Scorecards

27%
Santos
4%
Draw
70%
Rakic
187 fan scorecards submitted
●29–28 Rakic44.9%●29–28 Santos23.5%●30–27 Rakic20.9%●29–29 Draw3.2%
Fans' round-by-round verdict
R1
72%
Rakic
R2
86%
Rakic
R3
70%
Santos

Scorecard data via mmadecisions.com

Frequently asked questions

Who won Thiago Santos vs Aleksandar Rakic?

Aleksandar Rakic defeated Thiago Santos by Unanimous Decision in round 3 (5:00) in the Light Heavyweight bout of UFC 259: Blachowicz vs Adesanya, held Saturday, March 6, 2021 at Meta Apex, Las Vegas.

What were the judges' scorecards for Thiago Santos vs Aleksandar Rakic?

The judges scored it 29–28, 29–28, 30–27 — Aleksandar Rakic won the decision.

Referee
Herb Dean
Time format
3 Rnd (5-5-5)
Pre-fight comparison▾

Win probability

Thiago Santos 48%52% Aleksandar Rakic

What the model gave each fighter going into the fight, from their pre-fight UFCal Elo ratings. See all Elo ratings

Tale of the Tape

22-11-0
Record
14-6-0
1624
Elo rating
1640
0
Win Streak
0
42
Age
34
6'2"
188 cm
Height
6'4"
193 cm
76"
193 cm
Reach
78"
198 cm
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
Light Heavyweight
Weight Class
Light Heavyweight
Brazil
Nationality
Serbia / Austria

Striking Profile

3.72
SLpM
4.13
48%
Str. Acc.
50%
2.57
SApM
2.86
53%
Str. Def.
51%

Grappling Profile

0.88
TD Avg.
0.64
33%
TD Acc.
21%
65%
TD Def.
85%
0.10
Sub. Avg.
0.10

Recent form (last 5 fights)

Thiago Santos · 1-4
  • L
    Denis Goltsov
    Professional Fighters League - PFL 4: 2024 Regular SeasonThu, Jun 13, 2024
    TKO · R1 · 2:22 · Heavyweight
  • L
    Yoel Romero
    PFL Super Fights - PFL vs. Bellator ChampsSat, Feb 24, 2024
    Unanimous Decision · R3 · 5:00 · Light Heavyweight
  • L
    Jamahal Hill
    UFC Fight Night: Santos vs HillSat, Aug 6, 2022
    TKO · R4 · 2:31 · Light Heavyweight
  • L
    Magomed Ankalaev
    UFC Fight Night: Santos vs AnkalaevSat, Mar 12, 2022
    Unanimous Decision · R5 · 5:00 · Light Heavyweight
  • W
    Johnny Walker
    UFC Fight Night: Santos vs WalkerSat, Oct 2, 2021
    Unanimous Decision · R5 · 5:00 · Light Heavyweight
Aleksandar Rakic · 1-4
  • L
    Azamat Murzakanov
    UFC 321: Aspinall vs GaneSat, Oct 25, 2025
    TKO · R1 · 3:11 · Light Heavyweight
  • L
    Magomed Ankalaev
    UFC 308: Topuria vs HollowaySat, Oct 26, 2024
    Unanimous Decision · R3 · 5:00 · Light Heavyweight
  • L
    Jiri Prochazka
    UFC 300: Pereira vs HillSat, Apr 13, 2024
    TKO · R2 · 3:17 · Light Heavyweight
  • L
    Jan Blachowicz
    UFC Fight Night: Błachowicz vs RakićSat, May 14, 2022
    TKO · R3 · 1:11 · Light Heavyweight
  • W
    Thiago Santos
    UFC 259: Blachowicz vs AdesanyaSat, Mar 6, 2021
    Unanimous Decision · R3 · 5:00 · Light Heavyweight

Career Averages

Based on 24 fights · 11 fights
37.0
Avg sig. strikes
44.1
0.58
Avg takedowns
0.45
1:19
Avg control time
3:23
100
Career high strikes
104
6
Career high TDs
3

Strike Distribution

Thiago Santos
Strike target
Aleksandar Rakic
51%
Head
52%
23%
Body
16%
26%
Leg
32%
Thiago Santos
Strike position
Aleksandar Rakic
58%
Distance
67%
17%
Clinch
10%
25%
Ground
24%