Rakic Chops Smith Down

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Aleksandar Rakic and Anthony Smith face off tonight (Sat. Aug. 29, 2020) in a main event Light Heavyweight clash from inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. When Jon Jones left the Light Heavyweight title, the division completely opened up. As a result, this is suddenly a very important fight, one that could determine the next contender once a new champion is crowned.

In what turned out to be an utterly dominant performance, Rakic hammered the lead leg and then simply proved to be too strong for Smith in grappling exchanges. Light Heavyweight has a new contender!

Round One

Rakic opens with a pair of low kicks. Make that a trio! Smith chops into the calf himself then absorbs a body kick. Rakic rips into the calf twice more. Smith kicks back! Neither of these men are going to be walking well tomorrow. Smith fires some left hand strikes. Simultaneous low kicks! Three heavy calf kicks drop Smith to the canvas! Smith’s knee may be damaged, but “Lionheart” clings to a single leg and manages to nearly take the back! Rakic slips away and controls a front head lock. Rakic lands in top position in the guard. Smith briefly threatens a triangle, but Rakic is wise to it. Rakic finishes the round with some decent ground strikes.

Round Two

Rakic immediately kicks the leg to start the second. Rakic rips a body kick and lands a knee as Smith tries to advance. The two trade power shots, then Smith clinches up with his opponent … and gets literally thrown to the mat. Smith again trying to threaten the triangle, but it isn’t happening. Rakic’s ground strikes from in the guard are not devastating, but he’s consistently working. Rakic shoves Smith into the fence and continues to stay heavy from within the guard. Smith looks for an armbar, but Rakic pulls away easily. Smith is unable to get anything going 10 minutes into this bout.

Round Three

Rakic opens the final round with a low kick, then flurries with left hooks and high kicks as Smith struggles with his footing. Smith briefly threatens a back take along the fence, but Rakic slips away again and scores top position. Rakic just keeps chipping away from top position, where he seems to strong for Smith’s jiu-jitsu. The fight moves into the turtle position, but nothing major is happening. Smith is damaged and unwilling to really open up, while Rakic is happy to control with small shots. It ain’t pretty, but Rakic controls his foe until the final bell.

Result: Aleksandar Rakic defeats Anthony Smith via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-27)

For complete UFC Vegas 8: “Smith Vs. Rakic” results and play-by-play, click HERE!