{"id":146587,"date":"2020-08-29T01:00:14","date_gmt":"2020-08-29T08:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=146587"},"modified":"2020-08-31T14:36:21","modified_gmt":"2020-08-31T21:36:21","slug":"rakic-favored-over-lionheart-smith-at-ufc-fight-night-175","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/rakic-favored-over-lionheart-smith-at-ufc-fight-night-175\/","title":{"rendered":"UFC Fight Night 175 Odds: Upstart Rakic Favored Over \u2018Lionheart\u2019 Smith"},"content":{"rendered":"

Aleksandar Rakic will try to score the biggest win of his career on Saturday. That’s when he takes on veteran light heavyweight Anthony \u2018Lionheart\u2019 Smith in the main event of UFC<\/a> Fight Night 175 from the Apex facility in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n

\"Anthony
Anthony Smith (left) and Aleksandar Rakic (right) stare each other down in the lead up to UFC Fight Night 175 on Aug. 29, 2020. (Image: Jeff Bottari\/Zuffa)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Rakic enters the fight as a -290 favorite over Smith (+235), according to odds posted by FanDuel Sportsbook.<\/p>\n

Rakic Looks to Light Heavyweight Scene<\/strong><\/h2>\n

While Rakic (12-2) hasn\u2019t yet become a household name for most UFC fans, he has become one of the most promising light heavyweight prospects in the promotion. After losing his debut fight as a pro, Rakic ran off 12 straight wins, including four in the UFC.<\/p>\n

\n

His last fight came in December 2019, when he lost by split decision to Volkan Oezdemir. The decision sparked controversy, as most media members had Rakic winning the fight. In any case, the result did little to slow Rakic\u2019s accent, as he currently sits eighth in the UFC\u2019s divisional rankings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The loss did result in Rakic working harder than ever in the lead up to his fight with Smith. Rakic is determined to ensure that his hard camp results in a win on Saturday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis fight is the biggest fight of my career, and the most important fight for me,\u201d Rakic told UFC.com<\/em>. \u201c[Smith] has the lion heart, like his nickname. He\u2019s mentally very strong, and he can take a beating, plus he can also bring it and finish people. But I\u2019m the most explosive guy in the division \u2013 that\u2019s why they call me \u2018Rocket\u2019- and I\u2019m going to show that on Saturday night.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Lionheart\u2019 Ready to Prove He\u2019s Still a Contender<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Smith (33-15) has lost two of his last three fights, though those losses came to big names in former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones<\/a> and Glover Teixeira. While Smith is just 32 years old, he is among the most experienced fighters in the division, one that has developed a reputation as a performer who always puts on the best show possible for fans.<\/p>\n

When I care less, I\u2019m really hard to beat,\u201d<\/strong> Smith told MMA Fighting<\/em>. \u201cThat\u2019s kind of similar to how I am now. I\u2019m not really focused on beating Rakic. Honestly, he\u2019s super dangerous, so that\u2019s kind of fun for me. I don\u2019t know what it is. Maybe I\u2019m crazy. I really get excited when guys are really dangerous. I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s that adrenaline feeling, or the fight itself. I don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Rakic enters the fight as a deserving favorite. While the Austrian fighter is on his way towards becoming a title contender, Smith\u2019s star is fading a bit, as he lacks a signature win over a top-ranked opponent in the prime of their career. But that doesn\u2019t mean Lionheart can\u2019t win the fight. Rakic has shown deficiencies in his defensive skills, meaning there\u2019s always the potential for Smith to land a knockout blow and cause an upset that puts him back in the title picture.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Aleksandar Rakic will try to score the biggest win of his career on Saturday. That’s when he takes on veteran light heavyweight Anthony \u2018Lionheart\u2019 Smith in the main event of UFC Fight Night 175 from the Apex facility in Las Vegas. Rakic enters the fight as a -290 favorite over Smith (+235), according to odds […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":146588,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,1074],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nRakic Favored Over \u2018Lionheart\u2019 Smith at UFC Fight Night 175<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Aleksandar Rakic and Anthony Smith will face off in a critical light heavyweight battle, with both men trying to get into title contention.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/rakic-favored-over-lionheart-smith-at-ufc-fight-night-175\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Rakic Favored Over \u2018Lionheart\u2019 Smith at UFC Fight Night 175\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Aleksandar Rakic and Anthony Smith will face off in a critical light heavyweight battle, with both men trying to get into title contention.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/rakic-favored-over-lionheart-smith-at-ufc-fight-night-175\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Casino.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-08-29T08:00:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-08-31T21:36:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Smith-Rakic-Staredown.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"675\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Casino.org Staff Writer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Casino.org Staff Writer\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/rakic-favored-over-lionheart-smith-at-ufc-fight-night-175\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/rakic-favored-over-lionheart-smith-at-ufc-fight-night-175\/\",\"name\":\"Rakic Favored Over \u2018Lionheart\u2019 Smith at UFC Fight Night 175\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/rakic-favored-over-lionheart-smith-at-ufc-fight-night-175\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/rakic-favored-over-lionheart-smith-at-ufc-fight-night-175\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Smith-Rakic-Staredown.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-08-29T08:00:14+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-08-31T21:36:21+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8c48bf89dc86da77b4d856c7b3b78d77\"},\"description\":\"Aleksandar Rakic and Anthony Smith will face off in a critical light heavyweight battle, with both men trying to get into title contention.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/rakic-favored-over-lionheart-smith-at-ufc-fight-night-175\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/rakic-favored-over-lionheart-smith-at-ufc-fight-night-175\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/rakic-favored-over-lionheart-smith-at-ufc-fight-night-175\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Smith-Rakic-Staredown.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Smith-Rakic-Staredown.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":675,\"caption\":\"Anthony Smith (left) and Aleksandar Rakic (right) stare each other down in the leadup to UFC Fight Night 175 on Aug. 29, 2020. 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