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The main event of tonight's UFC Vegas 8 card saw the Octagon return of Anthony Smith, who went to battle against Aleksandar Rakic in the light heavyweight main event of the bout.
With Jon Jones recently vacating the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship, this fight had huge complications on how the division could shape up in the future, as both Rakic and Smith wanted to make a mark for themselves with a win.
Aleksandar Rakic beats Anthony Smith in the main event of UFC Vegas
Aleksandar Rakic has already proved the incredible knockout power that he possesses. Heading into the fight, Rakic might've suffered a loss to Volkan Oezdemir at UFC on ESPN+23 but the former did finish off Jimi Manuwa in spectacular fashion, with a first-round head kick the opening minute of their 2019 clash.
Whereas Anthony Smith headed into the fight after suffering a gruesome loss to Glover Teixeira, earlier in the year and the former light heavyweight title challenger knew that he needed a win for himself tonight.
However, a dominant performance from Aleksandar Rakic wouldn't let that happen. The Austrian fighter started the bout by showcasing his tremendous grappling skills and despite being one of the most explosive fighters in the entire 205 division, Rakic opted to keep the fight on the ground for almost the entire three rounds.
Aleksandar Rakic eventually got the win via UD (30-26, 30-27, 30-27) and in his post-fight interview, he explained that his decision to keep the fight on the ground was to prove that not only is Rakic a good striker but he can also wrestle and showcase his skills on the mat, as well. The Austrian fighter will definitely keep a close eye on the upcoming UFC 253 light heavyweight title bout between Jan Blachowicz and Dominick Reyes, as Aleksandar Rakic also called for a fight against the newly crowned champion.
