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Anthony Smith took on rising contender Aleksandar Rakic in a three-round main event at UFC Vegas 8. Rakic put up an incredible performance against the former title contender and picked up an impressive unanimous decision victory to further cement his position in the light-heavyweight division. With this victory, Rakic picked up his 5th victory inside UFC in 6 professional bouts for the promotion. In the process, Rakic has also put his name in the title contention and a win from here could potentially put him in the title picture.
However, it was disheartening to see Anthony Smith suffer his second straight loss inside the octagon. Ever since losing to Jon Jones at UFC 235, Smith has not been the same inside the octagon. While he did pick up a spectacular submission win against Alexander Gustafsson, Smith suffered a brutal TKO loss against Glover Texeira in the next fight. If we add the recent loss in Smith's resume, he has lost three of his last four fights inside the octagon. However, with notable victories over Hector Lombard, Rashad Evans, Mauricio Rua, and Alexander Gustafsson, Anthony Smith's time inside the octagon is far from done.
Where does Anthony Smith go from here?
The next best option for Anthony Smith should be to take some time out and introspect. Despite the brutal TKO loss against Texeira, Smith made a quick turnaround in less than 3 months to face someone as credible as Aleksandar Rakic.
Anthony Smith lacked discipline on the ground, and Rakic was able to take him down without much trouble. Rakic also unleashed some brutal calf kicks and some nasty head kick to continuously trouble Smith inside the octagon. Rakic dominated Smith on the ground and came close to a submission win on multiple occasions during the fight. The fight revealed that Smith's cardio has gone down significantly after the Jon Jones fight. Smith couldn't do well on the ground and lacked firepower in his striking game.
In the absence of Jon Jones, Smith still has the opportunity to jump back in the title picture. However, it will be interesting to see who Smith takes on next. Soon after his loss over Aleksandar Rakic, Smith 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.
Anthony Smith could actually look to jump weight classes after back to back losses. He is just 32 and has an incredible career ahead of him. Smith competed at the middleweight division and jumped weight classes after losing to Thiago Santos. Smith is big and has shown incredible athletic prowess. It will be interesting to see him make the jump to the heavyweight division, however, a new approach to his career at the light heavyweight division could also help Anthony Smith get back on winning track.
Anthony Smith is a big name, and there is no dearth of credible opponents for him if he once again decides to make a quick turnaround.
