If Anthony Smith is going to jump back into the win column and light heavyweight title contention, he'll need to defeat a very game Aleksandar Rakic first.
Smith faces Rakic in the headliner of UFC Fight Night, live from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday. Robbie Lawler vs. Neil Magny in a welterweight clash will serve as the co-main event.
The 32-year-old Smith is coming off a brutal fifth-round TKO loss to Glover Teixeira in May and has lost two of his last three bouts. Smith took a severe beating against Teixeira, as he suffered bleeding from his ear and could be heard saying "my teeth are falling out" between the fourth and fifth rounds. Fans and critics alike thought that Smith's corner should have thrown in the towel before the fight was actually stopped.
Yet, three months removed from that rough loss, Smith is back in the Octagon to face another tough test in Rakic. The 28-year-old Austrian had his 12-fight winning streak snapped in December via a hard-fought split-decision loss to Volkan Oezdemir. Despite Rakic being ranked eighth to Smith's No. 5 in the UFC light heavyweight rankings, he is currently listed as the favorite entering the bout. Now, he needs to show why that is in the Octagon on Saturday night.
Can Smith reassert himself as a legit threat in the light heavyweight division, or will Rakic hand him another painful loss?
Here's everything you need to know about UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Rakic.
When is UFC Fight Night: Anthony Smith vs. Aleksandar Rakic?
- Date: Saturday, Aug. 29
- Prelims: 6 p.m. ET
- Main card: 9 p.m. ET
UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Rakic takes place Saturday night, Aug. 29. Prelims get underway at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the main card at 9 p.m. ET.
How to watch UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Rakic TV, live stream info
In the United States, the prelims are on ESPN and ESPN+, while the Smith vs. Rakic main card will be solely on ESPN+.
In Canada, the prelims and main card are on TSN2.
In Brazil, UFC Fight Night can be seen live on Combate.
In Germany, Austria, Italy and Spain, the UFC Fight Night main card (3:00 a.m. CEST Sunday) is available on DAZN, the global sports streaming service.
More details about how to watch in other countries can be found at UFC.com.
Where is UFC Fight Night?
UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Rakic will take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Smith isn't a stranger to fighting in Las Vegas, but this will mark his first bout at the UFC Apex. Rakic has never fought in Las Vegas.
Smith vs. Rakic odds
According to BetMGM on Thursday, Rakic is listed as a -278 favorite, meaning that you would need to bet $278 to win $100. Meanwhile, Smith is listed at +225, indicating that a $100 bet could net $225 if he pulls off the victory.
Anthony Smith record, bio
- Name: Anthony Smith
- Nationality: American
- Born: July 26, 1988
- Height: 6-4
- Reach: 76 inches
- Total fights: 48
- Record: 33-15
Aleksandar Rakic record, bio
- Name: Aleksandar Rakic
- Nationality: Austrian
- Born: Feb. 6, 1992
- Height: 6-4
- Reach: 78 inches
- Total fights: 14
- Record: 12-2
UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Rakic fight card
Main card
- Anthony Smith vs. Aleksandar Rakic; Light heavyweight
- Robbie Lawler vs. Neil Magny; Welterweight
- Ji Yeon Kim vs. Alexa Grasso; Women's flyweight
- Ricardo Lamas vs. Bill Algeo; Featherweight
- Magomed Ankalaev vs. Ion Cutelaba; Light heavyweight
Prelims
- Maki Pitolo vs. Impa Kasanganay; Middleweight
- Mallory Martin vs. Hannah Cifers; Women's strawweight
- Alessio Di Chirico vs. Zak Cummings; Middleweight
- Alex Caceres vs. Giga Chikadze; Featherweight
- Polyana Viana vs. Emily Whitmire; Women's strawweight
- Sean Brady vs. Christian Aguilera; Welterweight