Anthony Smith vs Aleksandar Rakic Picks and Predictions 8-29-2020 UFC Vegas 8 Odds

by Tony Sink - 8/28/2020

Anthony Smith vs Aleksandar Rakic

UFC Vegas 8

UFC Apex

Saturday, August 29, 2020

Anthony Smith will enter the Octagon against Aleksandar Rakic at UFC Vegas 8 on Saturday, August 29, 2020. The moneyline has Smith coming in at +230 while Rakic is priced at -270.

Anthony "Lionheart" Smith has a career mark of 33-15-0. The 32-year-old is fighting at 205 lbs and stands in at 6'4". The orthodox fighter has a reach of 76". Aleksandar Rakic measures in at 6'4" and tips the scales at 205 lbs. The orthodox fighter holds a mark of 12-2-0. The 28-year-old has a wingspan of 78". In terms of significant strikes, Anthony Smith is landing 3.19 per minute and Aleksandar Rakic connects on 5.17 significant strikes per minute. Smith is connecting on 46% of the significant strikes he attempts while Rakic lands 52%. In terms of defending in the cage, "Lionheart" absorbs 4.57 significant strikes per min and Rakic absorbs 2.41. Smith also curbs 43% of the significant strikes his opponents throw his way while Rakic deflects 53% of them.

Concerning wrestling, Anthony Smith is the lesser skilled wrestler as he takes his opponents to the canvas 0.45 times per 3 rounds. Smith is scoring a takedown on 27% of his attempts and thwarting 51% of all takedown attempts. Rakic is finishing his takedown attempts on 28% of the takedowns he attempts and is stopping 88% of the attempts against him. In terms of submission attempts, Smith is the more apt fighter by trying 0.7 finishes per 15 min while Rakic looks to get 0.3 finishes per 15 minutes.

The last time he fought, Anthony Smith squared up with Glover Teixeira and walked away with a loss by way of punches to the head from the mount position in round 5. Teixeira landed 202 of 297 total strikes that he let go in that fight. Smith walked away from this fight having landed 87 of 212 total strikes. When talking about significant strikes, Teixeira landed 138 of 226, which means his percentage was 61%. He landed 112 of 192 significant strikes to the head. In terms of stats for the opponent, Smith landed 40% of his significant strikes by landing 86 of 210. Of all the significant strikes, he was 63 of 171 aimed at the head. 45% of the significant strikes connected on by Teixeira and 98% of them connected on by Smith were thrown at a distance.

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In the last bout for Aleksandar Rakic, he fought Volkan Oezdemir and ended up losing the fight by way of split decision in round 3. Oezdemir landed 74% of the significant strikes he tried at a distance and Rakic connected on 76% of the significant strikes he tried at a distance. Rakic connected on 51% of the significant strikes he attempted by connecting on 75 of 147. He connected on 49 of 116 significant strikes aimed at the head. Oezdemir ended up connecting on 63 of 144 significant strikes in that fight. Out of those significant strikes, he ended up connecting on 28 of 105 aimed at the head. In relation to total strikes that he threw in that fight, Oezdemir ended up connecting on 118 of 199 and Rakic landed 87 of 162 of the strikes he threw in total.

Other fights on the card to keep an eye on

Another fight to keep an eye on is when Robbie Lawler goes up against Neil Magny. Lawler walks into the Octagon holding a record of 28-14-0. The 38-year-old weighs in at 170 lbs and comes in at 5'11". The southpaw fighter has a reach of 74". Magny comes in at 6'3" and weighs 170 lbs. The orthodox fighter walks into the Octagon holding a record of 23-8-0. The 33-year-old extends his reach 80". When it comes to grappling, Robbie Lawler takes his opponents to the canvas 0.71 times per 3 rounds while Neil Magny scores a takedown 2.55 times per 15 minutes. When talking about striking, Lawler connects on 3.57 strikes per minute and connects on 45% of the strikes that he attempts. The other guy in this fight is Neil Magny, who lands 47% of the strikes he has tried and lands 3.95 per min.

One more can't miss bout is when Zak Cummings is set to square up in the Octagon against Alessio Di Chirico. Di Chirico will be looking to add a victory to his career total of 12-4-0. The 30-year-old will fight at 185 lbs and measures in at 6'0". The orthodox fighter has an arm span of 74". Cummings stands 6'0" and records a weight of 185 lbs. The southpaw fighter steps into the Octagon holding a record of 23-7-0. The 36-year-old extends his reach 75". Concerning grappling, Alessio Di Chirico deflects 83% of the takedowns fighters have tried and is finishing his takedown tries on 50% of the times he tries. Cummings is finishing his takedown tries on 28% of the tries he takes and stops 62% of all takedown attempts. In the category of striking, Di Chirico is absorbing 3.22 strikes per min while he is landing 3.20 per min. Cummings, moreover, absorbs 2.75 strikes per min and lands 2.47 per min.

Who will win tonight's UFC match against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take Anthony Smith (+230)

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Anthony Smith vs Aleksandar Rakic Picks and Predictions 8-29-2020 UFC Vegas 8 Odds

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