Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Thoughts and analysis of the biggest storylines coming out of UFC Fight Night 192 and Bellator 266, both of which took place Saturday.
What mattered most at UFC Fight Night 192 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and Bellator 266 from the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif.? Here are a few post-fight musings …
Anthony Smith has “nothing personal” against Aleksandar Rakic but is ready to earn revenge in a rematch after UFC Fight Night 182.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] thinks the only logical fight for him in the light heavyweight division after UFC Fight Night 192 is a rematch with [autotag]Aleksandar Rakic[/autotag].
Smith (35-16 MMA, 11-6 UFC) earned his third consecutive victory against a lesser-ranked opponent on Saturday when he submitted Ryan Spann (19-7 MMA, 5-2 UFC) in the first round of their main event matchup at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Coming into the fight, Smith made it very clear he wanted a rematch of his unanimous decision loss to Rakic (14-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 175 in August 2020. He doubled down during his in-cage interview, and it seemed the sequel was made on the spot ad Rakic instantly responded and said he’s available in December.
Smith said he would like nothing more than for that to come to reality, but it’s not because he has a deeper issue with Rakic beyond simply losing their fight.
“That’s what I wanted,” Smith told MMA Junkie and other reporters at the UFC Fight Night 192 post-event press conference. “That’s what I asked for. That’s the fight I’ve been talking about. It’s nothing personal. Me and Rakic have had nothing but positive exchanges with each other both before and after the fight. It’s purely competitive. I want his spot. He took mine, I want to take it back.”
In addition to losing his ranking to Rakic, “Lionheart” said he’s still bothered by what that loss represents. He said he was in a “dark place” following a brutal TKO defeat to Glover Teixeira in May 2020, and he wasn’t where he needed to be mentally for his training camp and in the fight with Rakic itself.
He’s seemingly turned a positive corner since then, earning first-round stoppage wins over Spann, Jimmy Crute and Devin Clark. Not only does Smith want to show he’s a better version of himself now, but he said it’s the fight that does the most of him in terms of climbing the 205-pound rankings to a second UFC title shot.
“No disrespect – I think Dominick Reyes is an easier fight (than Rakic), but that doesn’t get me closer to the title,” Smith said. “I need what’s going to get me closest to the title fight. I could hang around and wait for the loser of the title fight, but I don’t want to wait. I think for me stylistically – not saying for everyone – but for me, Rakic is probably the toughest fight out of those (top) five guys.”
Although Smith’s performance against Spann earned him “Performance of the Night” honors, he wasn’t the happiest with his body of work. He felt the fight was “chaotic and wild,” and despite his track rate of finishing fights, would’ve liked something cleaner.
Still, though, he got his hand raised in a matchup against an opponent in Spann who has some hype as a future player at light heavyweight. Smith said he didn’t think he was getting enough credit coming into the matchup, but at this point is over putting stock into the critics and only wants to satisfy himself.
“What do I got to do? Who do I have to beat?” Smith said. “I beat the old guys and people said they were too old. Now I beat the young guys and everyone says they’re not ranked high enough. What the f*ck do you want me to do? I don’t give a f*ck anymore. I’m doing what I have to do and fighting the guys in front of me.”
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Aleksandar Rakic sees a fight with Jiri Prochazka as the perfect title eliminator.
[autotag]Aleksandar Rakic[/autotag] sees a fight with [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] as the perfect UFC light heavyweight title eliminator.
Prochazka emerged as a top contender when he scored an incredible spinning back elbow knockout of former title challenger Dominick Reyes at UFC on ESPN 23, moving him one spot ahead of Rakic in the official UFC 205-pound rankings.
Rakic (14-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) has been on a great run of his own, coming off back-to-back wins over former title challengers Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos. So with both contenders knocking on the door of title contention, Rakic thinks a fight between them makes perfect sense.
“He did a great performance,” Rakic told MMA Junkie of Prochazka. “He knocked out Reyes. He’s now a top contender, and this fight makes sense against Jiri. The result what happened on Saturday is the best thing that could have happened to me because this wakes my attention, my motivation. I’m even now more motivated to go back to the gym, to train harder and harder.”
He continued, “This fight against Jiri makes the most sense now, and Glover (Teixeira) is going to fight Jan (Blachowicz) in September. Who else is gonna fight Jiri instead of me? Who?”
With all the hype surrounding Prochazka (28-3-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC), many have dubbed him as the No. 1 contender. But Rakic, who received some criticism for his past two fights that went the distance, believes people are counting him out of the conversation. In a recent tweet, he quoted UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, claiming that he’s a problem and no one ever mentions his name.
“Everybody is talking about my last two fights. They were boring, and I didn’t knock them out,” Rakic said. “Everybody had that one fight that was not so spectacular, and in the last fight against Santos, we knew he’s dangerous in the counters, so I was a little bit patient with my attacks because he’s wild, wild countering. So that’s the reason the fight went like this, but a win is a win.
“I know I can knock anybody out in the division, and I can finish anybody in the division. It’s just a matter of time. I don’t want to force any knockouts or any submission. It will come by itself. But I know what I’m capable of doing, and this is the fight that makes the most sense, me and Jiri, and the winner is gonna fight for the title.”
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Rakic lauds Prochazka for his highlight-reel finishes and dangerous style, but he also sees holes in his game. He thinks his ever-improving grappling could end up being his key to victory if they fight.
“He’s very aggressive,” Rakic said. “He’s coming forward. I’ve been watching him with my team. He’s a very good, aggressive, offensive striker. I didn’t see so much grappling and wrestling, I saw just in the last fight. I see some holes in his game especially. He’s unorthodox, and you need to deal with this unorthodox style, and I think his style would match up perfect because when I’m in the octagon I’m ice cold and every mistake, he will need to pay.
“He doesn’t make a lot of mistakes, but he has mistakes, and if I can catch him in the right moment, it’s gonna be a knockout. But if not, I’m working a lot on my grappling and wrestling in the last few years, and I see the most advantage in the grappling and wrestling area against Jiri, but if it’s going the distance, I will also be ready to go five or three rounds for war. It doesn’t matter.”
With light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz’s next title defense against Glover Teixeira taking place at UFC 266 in September, Rakic would love to face Prochazka on the same card.
“If the UFC want to do it with me and Jiri in September on the same card as Jan and Glover, that would be great for the division,” Rakic said. “It’s up to the UFC what they want. It’s a lot of hype around Jiri, and I understand this. He did a very good job, but someone needs to stop the hype.”
https://youtu.be/sIiIhGMCt08
Islam Makhachev and Aleksandar Rakic were among those who name-dropped their preferred next opponents at UFC 259 in Las Vegas.
Earning wins in the UFC is certainly no easy task, but what comes next is often even more important: the post-fight callout.
So, after Saturday’s UFC 259 event in Las Vegas, who took advantage of their time on the mic?
See below for this week’s Callout Collection – and just how realistic each one is.
UFC 259: Aleksandar Rakic post-fight interview
UFC 259: Aleksandar Rakic post-fight interview
It wasn’t the most thrilling, but Aleksandar Rakic’s win was a win nonetheless.
It didn’t feature a finish for his highlight reel, but [autotag]Aleksandar Rakic[/autotag]’s win over [autotag]Thiago Santos[/autotag] was a win nonetheless.
On Saturday, Rakic (14-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) defeated former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Thiago Santos by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) in a relatively lackluster affair.
The light heavyweight bout opened the UFC 259 main card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
Two violent light heavyweights with knockout power in all four limbs, Rakic and Santos fought from distance. The pace was relatively slow, but both fighters consistently threw punches and kicks. Both fighters cautiously threw strikes, including a high volume of kicks, for the duration of three rounds.
Rakic’s footwork, range, and ability to control Santos in the clinch rode him to victory. Santos seemed a bit behind Rakic in the exchanges and wasn’t able to muster up any consistent offense. Late in Round 3, Rakic shot for a takedown and sealed the deal with control for the rest of the fight.
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Broadcasters Joe Rogan and Daniel Cormier agreed the bout was “uneventful” as a whole, but they credited Rakic for adding a name like Santos to his winning resume.
Though there wasn’t much jiu-jitsu in the bout, Rakic earned his brown belt from his coaches after the official decision was read.
With the victory, Rakic turns a lone win against Anthony Smith in August into a winning streak. Outside of a split decision loss to Volkan Oezdemir in December 2019, Rakic is unblemished under the UFC banner. Rakic also holds wins over Jimi Manuwa, Devin Clark, Justin Ledet, and Francimar Barroso.
As for Santos, his recent loss extends his skid to three, the longest of his career. When he entered UFC 259, Santos was coming off back-to-back defeats to Glover Teixeira and Jon Jones. UFC 259 was the third time Santos lost by decision in his career.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 259 results include:
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Previewing Saturday’s UFC 259 fight between Thiago Santos and Aleksandar Rakic, with MMA odds, picks, tips and predictions.
In a light heavyweight bout on Saturday’s main card, Thiago Santos and Aleksandar Rakic meet at UFC 259 at the UFC’s APEX Facility in Las Vegas. The early prelims kick off at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN+, followed by the prelims on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. and then the main card on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. Below, we analyze the UFC 259 odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:40 a.m. ET.
Bet $1 on Israel Adesanya and WIN $100 (in free bets) if Adesanya wins vs. Blachowicz during UFC 259. Promotion available in CO, IA, IN, MI, NJ, PA, TN, VA and WV. New customer offer, terms and conditions apply.
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Records: Santos 21-8 | Rakic 13-2
RAKIC (-165) straight up on the 2-way line is the best bet here, as he enters 5-1 at the UFC level, and he has a pair of KO/TKO under his belt since joining the company. Last time out, Aug. 29, 2020, in the main event, he took care of Anthony Smith by unanimous decision.
Santos (+140) enters this one two inches shorter and with a two-inch reach disadvantage. Rakic also has a 4.66-4.36 significant strikes landed per minute, with a 54.91-to-48.37 significant-strikes-accuracy-percentage advantage. Santos enters on a two-bout skid, falling to Glover Teixeira in the follow-up to his title bout loss to Jon Jones at UFC 239.
In addition, RAKIC BY KO/TKO, DQ OR SUBMISSION (+190) on the 5-way line is a strong play, as you have a chance to nearly double up. Playing RAKIC IN ROUND 1 (+400) and RAKIC IN ROUND 2 (+725) in round betting is a good play. Yes, you will lose on end, but you’ll still be well ahead if he gets the early finish.
Play our new free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!
Four of the past five fights for Santos have finished inside the distance, and 13 of his past 15 have resulted in stoppages., including 10 KO/TKOs (8-2). Two of the past four for Rakic have finished inside the distance, so UNDER 2.5 ROUNDS (-150) is a solid play.
To watch the early prelims and prelims, sign up for ESPN+ now.
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Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC 259 main card, which features three title fights.
| Blachowicz vs. Adesanya |
Nunes vs. Anderson |
Yan vs. Sterling |
Dober vs. Makhachev |
Rakic vs. Santos |
|
| MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 2021: 18-15 |
 Blachowicz (52%) |
 Nunes (84%) |
 Yan (57%) |
 Makhachev (74%) |
 Santos (58%) |
| Dan Tom @DanTomMMA 2021: 21-12  2020 Champion |
 Adesanya |
Nunes |
 Sterling |
Makhachev |
 Rakic |
| Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 2021: 21-12 |
Blachowicz |
Nunes |
Yan |
Makhachev |
Santos |
| George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 2021: 20-13 |
Adesanya |
Nunes |
Sterling |
Makhachev |
Santos |
| Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 2021: 19-14 2018 Champion |
Blachowicz |
Nunes |
Sterling |
Makhachev |
Rakic |
| John Morgan @MMAjunkieJohn 2021: 19-14 |
Adesanya |
Nunes |
Sterling |
Makhachev |
Rakic |
| Simon Samano @SJSamano 2021: 18-15 |
Blachowicz |
Nunes |
Sterling |
Makhachev |
Santos |
| Brian Garcia @thegoze 2021: 18-15 2017 Champion |
Blachowicz |
Nunes |
Sterling |
Makhachev |
Rakic |
| Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 2021: 17-16 |
Adesanya |
Nunes |
Yan |
Makhachev |
Rakic |
| Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 2021: 17-16 |
Blachowicz |
Nunes |
Sterling |
Makhachev |
Santos |
| Simon Head @simonhead 2021: 17-16 2019 Champion* |
Adesanya |
Nunes |
Yan |
Makhachev |
Rakic |
| Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA 2021: 17-16 2014 Champion |
Adesanya |
Nunes |
Sterling |
Makhachev |
Santos |
| Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 2021: 16-17 |
Adesanya |
Nunes |
Yan |
Makhachev |
Santos |
| Nolan King @mma_kings 2021: 15-18 |
Blachowicz |
Nunes |
Yan |
Makhachev |
Rakic |
The UFC one of its biggest events in recent memory this week with three title fights atop the bill.
UFC 259 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)
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In the main event, [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] (27-8 MMA, 10-5 UFC) puts his light heavyweight title on the line against middleweight champion [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] (20-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC), who will attempt to become the UFC’s latest two-division champ. Despite moving up a weight class, the unbeaten Adesanya is a -250 favorite at BetMGM, but he’s only got the slimmest possible 7-6 lead from our 13 editors, writers, videographers and radio hosts.
In the co-feature, women’s bantamweight and featherweight champ [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] (20-4 MMA, 13-1 UFC) puts her 145-pound title up against challenger [autotag]Megan Anderson[/autotag] (10-4 MMA, 3-2 UFC). Nunes is a massive 10-1 favorite, so a win for Anderson would be one of the biggest upsets in UFC history. Not surprisingly, Nunes is one of two unanimous picks on the main card.
It’s a close fight from a betting perspective between bantamweight champ [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] (15-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) and challenger [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] (19-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC). The fight nearly is a pick’em with Yan at -115 and Sterling at -105. But our pickers are siding with Sterling, 8-5, to become the new champ.
The second biggest favorite on the entire card is lightweight [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] (18-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC), who is -375 against [autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag] (23-9 MMA, 9-5 UFC). Makhachev also is a 13-0 unanimous pick from our staff members.
And to open the main card, [autotag]Aleksandar Rakic[/autotag] (13-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) is a -160 favorite against [autotag]Thiago Santos[/autotag] (21-8 MMA, 13-7 UFC) at light heayweight, but he’s got a narrow 7-6 picks lead.
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Blachowicz (52 percent), Nunes (84 percent), Yan (57 percent), Makhachev (74 percent) and Santos (58 percent) are the choices.
Check out all the picks above.
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Aleksandar Rakic thinks a win over Thiago Santos at UFC 259 on Saturday will solidify a light heavyweight title shot.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Aleksandar Rakic[/autotag] thinks a win over Thiago Santos at UFC 259 will solidify a light heavyweight title shot.
“It’s a great opportunity to show I’m ready for the title,” Rakic told reporters, including MMA Junkie, on Wednesday at UFC 259 media day. “The new era is coming.”
Rakic (13-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) meets Santos (21-8 MMA, 13-7 UFC) in Saturday’s main card opener, which is a crucial bout at 205 pounds. It’s a good position to be in as champion Jan Blachowicz puts the belt on the line against middleweight champ Israel Adesanya in the main event.
Rakic prefers Adesanya (20-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) wins the fight against Blachowicz (27-8 MMA, 10-5 UFC), because it would present the most marquee matchup for him in a title shot.
“Honestly I would like to fight Israel,” Rakic said. “He’s the biggest name. All respect to Jan, he’s the champion, but Israel is the bigger name. To fight against him and to win against him and take all his legacy would be great.”
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Rakic said he’s not trying to look past the task at hand. He knows that despite Santos, a former title challenger, is coming off back-to-back losses to Jon Jones and Glover Teixeira, he’s still a big threat inside the octagon.
“Santos came out in the fight against Jones with two broken knees, and he did surgery on both of those and he did a long layoff,” Rakic said. “I know how that feels, because I also did two knee surgeries and I know how long it takes to heal. Not only the physical part can get it done early, but the mental part is going to be long. The fight against Glover, you could see ring rust, but he’s still dangerous. He dropped Glover two or three times then Glover finished him. I’m expecting now a motivated Santos because he lost the last two in a row, and he’s going to come forward. I’m ready for him.”
Ultimately Rakic knows that his performance at UFC 259 will determine where he fits into the landscape for the next title shot. And it’s his goal to send a big message to both fans and the UFC brass.
“Absolutely I need to make a great performance on Saturday like I do always” Rakic said. “Let the UFC know I’m coming for the title.”
UFC 259 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
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We want your predictions for UFC 259, which features title fights at light heavyweight, women’s featherweight and bantamweight.
We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC 259 event in Las Vegas.
Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Thursday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).
Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the UFC 259 main card staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. UFC 259 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
Make your picks for the fights below.
