Light heavyweight contender Anthony “Lionheart” Smith (33-15, 18 KOs, 12 SUBs) will meet prospect Aleksandar Rakic (12-2, 9 KOs, 1 SUB) at UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Rakic on Saturday, August 29 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card also features a high stakes welterweight matchup between former champion Robbie Lawler (28-14, 20 KOs, 1 SUB) and veteran Neil Magny (23-7, 7 KOs, 3 SUBs), and a light heavyweight blood feud Magomed Ankalaev (13-1, 8 KOs) and Ion Cutelaba (15-5, 12 KOs, 2 SUBs). Let’s take a closer look at the matchup between Smith and Rakic, and break down your best online betting options.
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Anthony Smith (33-15, 18 KOs, 12 SUBs)
Smith is currently No. 5 at 205, though he is further from the title mix than the rankings would suggest. He’s lost two of his past three, starting with a title loss to Jon Jones in March 2019. An impressive bounce-back win over Alexander Gustafsson proved that he belonged in the elite tier, but his most recent showing against Glover Teixeira was a huge setback. Though Smith entered that matchup a huge favorite, he was absolutely dominated by a past-his-prime vet - to the point where it was just painful to watch. With all due respect, Teixeira is a gatekeeper at 205. Beating Gustafsson and losing to Teixeira is a massive swing.
Though Smith is a fun fighter to watch, he is not a particularly dominant one. On the feet, Lionheart is a dynamic Muay Thai stylist, using his height and frame to great effect to launch punishing knees and slashing elbows. He also can flex at range, throwing long range kicks and stiff punching combinations. A big dude at 6’4”, Smith has the power and size to put down anyone in the division. When it comes to grappling, the 32-year old is an excellent opportunist, needing only a split second to lock in chokes. Again, his long limbs are an asset on the mat, as is his flexibility.
This is not going to be an easy fight for Smith - Rakic is even taller than Lionheart and a heavy, heavy hitter. But Smith is much, much more experienced than his opponent, which might be the deciding factor.
Aleksandar Rakic (12-2, 9 KOs, 1 SUB)
Hailing from Austria, Rakic was basically a complete unknown when he signed to the UFC in 2017. At the time he was a 9-1 prospect who hadn’t lost since his pro debut. Of course, the caveat was that he was facing nobodies in tiny regional competition - although we should note that he finished all of his opponents on the European circuit.
His UFC career has been an unexpected surprise. After a tough decision win in his debut against Francimar Barroso, the 28-year old took off, dominating Justin Ledet, then scoring back-to-back first-round knockouts of Devin Clark and Jimi Manuwa. Flatlining Manuwa in less than a minute garnered a ton of attention, leading to a scrap with a former title challenger in Volkan Oezdemir. It wasn’t a pretty fight, and Rakic wound up on the wrong side of a split decision loss - it really could have gone the other way.
Rakic is big even by divisional standards at 6’5”, and has instant killshot power. The question is whether he’ll be able to break through Smith’s defenses.
Significant Striking Stats
Strikes landed per minute: Smith 3.19 / Rakic 5.17
Striking accuracy: Smith 46% / Rakic 52%
Strikes absorbed per minute: Smith 4.57 / Rakic 2.41
Striking defense: Smith 43% / Rakic 53%
Grappling Stats
Takedowns per 15 minutes: Smith 0.45 / Rakic 1.2
Takedown accuracy: Smith 27% / Rakic 28%
Takedown defense: Smith 51% / Rakic 88%
Submission average: Smith 0.7 / Rakic 0.3
UFC Picks
Rakic’s impressive stats give you a glimpse of just how effective a striker he is. Granted, he hasn’t been facing close to the level of competition that Smith has, but Rakic hasn’t been facing stiffs either. His pressure and length should give Smith some problems, and his takedown defense should hold up as well. The Austrian should emerge as a new top 5 fighter after this matchup.
UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Rakic Card & Odds
Light Heavyweight: Anthony Smith +243 vs. Aleksandar Rakic -303
Light Heavyweight: Ion Cutelaba +277 vs. Magomed Ankalaev -352
Welterweight: Christian Aguilera +297 vs. Sean Brady -381
Middleweight: Alessio Di Chirico -117 vs. Zak Cummings -107
Women’s Flyweight: Emily Whitmire -117 vs. Polyana Viana -107
Women’s Flyweight: Ji Yeon Kim +243 vs. Alexa Grasso -303
Women’s Strawweight: Hannah Cifers +257 vs. Mallory Martin -323
Welterweight: Robbie Lawler +213 vs. Neil Magny -264
Featherweight: Bill Algeo +219 vs. Ricardo Lamas -272
Middleweight: Maki Pitolo +113 vs Impa Kasanganay -137
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