Anthony Smith vs. Aleksandar Rakic To Headline August 29 Card As Three-Rounder
Anthony Smith vs. Aleksandar Rakic will serve as the new main event for the UFC’s upcoming August 29 card.
The card was initially expected to be headlined by a highly-anticipated featherweight matchup between Zabit Magomedsharipiv and Yair Rodriguez.
However, an injury to Rodriguez ruled him out with Magomedsharipov later returning home to Russia after failing to land a replacement opponent.
Instead, the light heavyweight encounter between Smith and Rakic will now be promoted to main event status. The news was announced during the UFC 252 broadcast last night and later confirmed on social media.
Given the short notice, Smith and Rakic’s fight will remain a three-rounder rather than the traditional five rounds a main event usually consists of.
Smith is coming off a fourth-round TKO defeat to Glover Teixeira in May and will be eager to return to the win column.
Rakic, meanwhile, is also coming off a defeat after losing a split verdict to Volkan Oezdemir in December. It was his first defeat in the UFC as well as his second overall in his professional career since his debut loss back in 2011.
Also featuring on the August 29 card is a welterweight matchup between Robbie Lawler and Neil Magny while Ryan Hall meets Ricardo Lamas in a featherweight tilt.
What do you think of the event so far?
