As a young man Žikić left his native Mavrovo and came to Belgrade where he worked as an innkeeper and a sheep herdsman.
[2] In the Austrian-Ottoman war of 1788-1791 he joined the Serbian Free Corps unit of Mihaljević and distinguished himself earning the rank of captain.
Despite the fact that he built his career in Austrian service, after the start of the First Serbian Uprising in 1804, Žikić immediately returned to Serbia.
[4] As an experienced officer with some talent for building, Žikić turned Deligrad into the strongest defensive point in the Morava valley.
He commanded the troops stationed in the fortification, mostly from Niš and Leskovac until his death[1][5] On Easter Friday in 1808 the Turks launched a sneak attack on Deligrad.