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Anthony Smith Opens Up On Aleksandar Rakic Loss: ‘I’m Not Doing Well’

Anthony Smith is having a hard time after his UFC Vegas 8 main event loss to Aleksandar Rakic. Smith was returning to the Octagon just three months after his beatdown loss to Glover Teixeira in May. “Lionheart” entered the fight as a sizeable underdog and early on got dropped due to leg kicks. Rakic was […]

Anthony Smith is having a hard time after his UFC Vegas 8 main event loss to Aleksandar Rakic.

Smith was returning to the Octagon just three months after his beatdown loss to Glover Teixeira in May. “Lionheart” entered the fight as a sizeable underdog and early on got dropped due to leg kicks. Rakic was beating his leg up and for the rest of the fight the Austrian dominated it with ground and pound.

Now, just days after his loss, Smith went on MMA on SiriusXM and opened up saying he is not doing well physically or mentally.

“It’s not good,” he said when asked about the state of his leg, which took a significant amount of punishment in the fight (via BJPENN.com). “It’s not good at all. I’m still on crutches, so there’s that.

“If I’m being really honest with you guys, I’m not doing well,” Smith added, opening up on his mental state. “I’m super disappointed. I couldn’t get out of bed on Sunday. They had to send people from the [UFC Performance Institute] to my hotel room and drug me up and put a bunch of anti-inflammatory creams and big compression ice machines [on me]. It was like I had a whole f**king team in my room.

“It’s a little bit better today,” Smith continued. “There’s an occult fracture on my fibula head, so that’s cool. It sounds bad, but it’s not a huge deal actually. In four to six weeks it will be fine.”

For Anthony Smith, he said the leg kicks made it impossible for him to fight how he wanted to. He could barely stand on it so he couldn’t generate any power striking. So, he had to keep the fight on the ground and see if he could pull out a submission.

Not only is the defeat disappointing, but Smith is surprised his leg gave out after just three leg kicks from Rakic.

“Had I not had the leg damage, I would have changed my gameplan and just said ‘alright, we’re just going to stand in this boxing range and we’re just going to go to town here,’” he said. “And I’m confident I’d have been fine. But I couldn’t take one more leg kick. I didn’t have the ability to change my game plan to just strike with him and just box, because the one time he steps back into kicking range, and I don’t have enough time to close that distance, I’m down, and I’m not getting back up.

“That’s the thing. He kicked me three times. That is nuts. Hector Lombard kicked me 32 times in that fight. No issues. Three kicks from Aleksandar Rakic and I’m on crutches.”

Where Anthony Smith goes from here is uncertain. There is no question this is a disappointing loss for him.

What do you think should be next for Anthony Smith?

Aleksandar Rakic Thinks Dominick Reyes Is The Toughest Fight At 205lbs

Aleksandar Rakic has expressed his belief that Dominick Reyes would provide him with the toughest of all the light-heavyweight contenders currently vying for the 205lb strap recently vacated by the long-time champ, Jon Jones. Rakic made the claim after picking up a dominant decision win against Anthony Smith last night. Speaking to media post-fight at […]

Speaking to media post-fight at UFC Vegas 8 Rakic said he is ready for a title shot but is prepared to accept a five-round main event fight to prove himself to the promotion.

“I made a great performance tonight, and I think I’m the next for the title,” he said. “But if the UFC wants to see me in a five-round fight, they can do it. I was preparing for a three-round fight, but put on this great performance tonight, and I could go another two rounds with no problems. I was ready for five. Can you imagine me getting ready for a five-round fight with this pace? It’s amazing. We’re going to see what the UFC plans for me next. I’m going to be ready.”

Rakic went on to recap his win over Smith. The Serbian standout was able to utilize his superior wrestling skills to dictate the fight and pick up the biggest win of his career.

“I worked hard on my wrestling and putting pressure on him. I made him really tired,” Rakic said. “I heard in the second and third how he was breathing heavy. The plan was, don’t rush and don’t go for the submissions. If he gave me something really, really, then I’d go for it. The goal was to dominate, put pressure, and to win.”

Dominick Reyes is set to compete against Jan Blachowicz for the vacant light-heavyweight title at UFC 253. Despite recognizing the abilities of the Polish power puncher and fellow contender Glover Teixeria, Rakic thinks Reyes would provide him with the toughest challenge.

“I think the hardest challenge for me would be Dominick Reyes,” Rakic said. “He fought a very good fight against Jones. He’s fighting for the title with Jan. Both guys deserve a title shot. But Thiago, Glover and Jan are very strong athletes, and they are here in the top for a reason.” (Transcribed by MMA Fighting)

Do you agree with Aleksandar Rakic? Is Dominick Reyes the toughest test for anyone at 205lbs?

UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Rakic Recap Show

In the UFC Vegas 8 main event former light-heavyweight title challenger Anthony Smith dropped to a second straight loss against Aleksandar Rakic. The Serbian standout was able to dominate the fight with wrestling and heavy leg kicks. Prior to that former welterweight champ, Robbie Lawler lost his fourth straight fight – in a unanimous decision […]

Join Jordan Ellis and Ryan Galloway who recap these fights and the entire UFC Vegas 8 card in the latest LowKickMMA podcast.

Anthony Smith Considers Middleweight Move After Loss To Aleksandar Rakic

Anthony Smith admits Aleksandar Rakic was much stronger than him in the UFC Vegas 8 main event. ‘Lionheart’ was dominated for three rounds on the mat in his lopsided decision loss to the Serbian. Speaking on the UFC on ESPN+ 33 post-fight show Smith bemoaned the lack of weight divisions in MMA which means he […]

Anthony Smith admits Aleksandar Rakic was much stronger than him in the UFC Vegas 8 main event. ‘Lionheart’ was dominated for three rounds on the mat in his lopsided decision loss to the Serbian.

Speaking on the UFC on ESPN+ 33 post-fight show Smith bemoaned the lack of weight divisions in MMA which means he is too big for middleweight and somewhat undersized against the best light-heavyweight fighters, he said.

“I’ve never been one of the guys that’s out here pining and calling for more weight classes, but in these last couple of fights that’s kind of where my brain goes. I’m just too big for 185, and you start getting into these bigger, stronger, taller, longer guys. They’re just so strong. … I think I got some big decisions to make in my career and figure out where we go from here. It’s super frustrating to lose to a guy you feel you can beat.”

Smith ate countless nasty legs kicks throughout the fight – especially in round one. ‘Lionheart’ made the adjustments and closed the distance but was still being dominated by the bigger, stronger man, he explained.

“Well, the first round I kind of stayed in kicking range at the beginning, which was obviously stupid now. He just beat on my lead leg, and then we got into clinch and grappling exchanges, which I felt OK in, but he was just so strong. He’s so big,” Smith said. “… He was so tight on top that I couldn’t make any space. I guess just my biggest takeaway is that he’s just so big and so strong.”

Smith went on to ponder a move back down to the middleweight division, speaking of the lengths he would need to go to in order to make 185lbs safely.

“I don’t know. (One hundred and eighty-five pounds) is still really tough,” Smith said. “It’s a total lifestyle change, and that’s year-round. It’s not like one of those things where I can get into camp and change my diet and cut down. It’s a complete lifestyle change. I guess that’s one of the options. I guess the other option is to take some time off and get bigger. I don’t know. I’ve got some things to decide on.” (Transcribed by MMA Junkie)

Do you think Anthony Smith should drop down to middleweight?

UFC Fight Night: Smith Vs. Rakic Bonuses

Earlier tonight (Sat. August 29, 2020) UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Rakic took place from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The facility played host to a matchup between two ranked light-heavyweights Aleksandar Rakic and Anthony Smith. Rakic dominated the fight for the entire three rounds after injuring Smith earlier with leg kicks. The […]

Earlier tonight (Sat. August 29, 2020) UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Rakic took place from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The facility played host to a matchup between two ranked light-heavyweights Aleksandar Rakic and Anthony Smith. Rakic dominated the fight for the entire three rounds after injuring Smith earlier with leg kicks. The judges saw it a Unanimous Decision to Rakic who will advance in the rankings towards the top of the division. The co-main event of the evening saw former welterweight champion Robbie Lawler return against Neil Magny. Magny dominated the fight earning himself a unanimous decision victory over Lawler. Outside of this, there were plenty of moments worthy of bonuses.

Fight of the Night came in the first fight of the main card between Ricardo Lamas and Bill Algeo. Stepping in on short notice to replace Ryan Hall, Algeo performed extremely well holding his own against a veteran who has fought some of the best to ever do it. Lamas, however, proved too much for the new signing, dominating him in the third round to silence any doubt in his decision victory.

The First Performance of the Night went to Mallory Martin in the very first fight of the night against Hannah Cifers. The first round saw Martin one step behind on the feet being hit will a combination of punches that looked to have almost closed the show. Coming out in the second round, the game plan was completely different from Martin quickly securing a takedown and ending the fight with a rear-naked choke at 1:33.

The Final Performance of the Night bonus went to Sean Brady for his submission win over Christian Aguilera. Another second-round submission, Brady found the position once before Aguilera was able to scramble out. Shortly after Brady was able to secure the position again and earn the victory via mounted guillotine choke.

Fighters React To Anthony Smith vs. Aleksandar Rakic At UFC on ESPN+ 33

Anthony Smith vs. Aleksandar Rakic brought an interesting dynamic in their fight. The showdown served as the main event of the UFC On ESPN+ 33 event on Saturday night (August 29, 2020) from Las Vegas, Nevada at the UFC APEX. As seen in the fight,…

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