Aleksandar Rakic will be looking to avoid suffering consecutive defeats for the first time in his professional MMA career when he takes on fellow light heavyweight Anthony Smith on Saturday at UFC Fight Night 175 as a strong -275 favourite on the UFC odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Rakic is coming off a three-round split decision loss to Volkan Oezdemir at UFC Fight Night 165, dumping his pro MMA record to 12-2 going into Saturday night’s bout at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas.
Prior to his recent defeat as a -155 wager, Rakic enjoyed an impressive 12-fight win streak that featured eight finishes inside five minutes. The 28-year-old Austrian has encountered stiffer competition since joining the UFC in 2017, with three of his five fights in the octagon going the distance, but has yet to see action in championship rounds so far in his nine-year career.
Smith will also be looking to redeem himself when he enters the octagon for Saturday night’s main event as a +215 underdog at online betting sites. “Lionheart” has produced mixed results in three straight outings as a headliner.
The 32-year-old American suffered a fifth-round TKO loss to Glover Teixeira as a -235 favourite in his last outing at UFC Fight Night 171. Smith had previously come up short in his bid for the UFC light heavyweight title, dropping a unanimous decision to Jon Jones at UFC 235. However, he followed up with a fourth-round submission win over Alexander Gustafsson at UFC Fight Night 153, claiming his third Performance of the Night bonus in his past five outings.
Elsewhere on the UFC betting lines for Saturday, a pair of veteran welterweights clash as Neil Magny battles former champion Robbie Lawler as -240 chalk. Magny will be aiming to win three in a row for the first time in four years after tallying recent three-round unanimous decision wins over Li Jingliang and Anthony Rocco Martin.
Conversely, Lawler lags as a +190 underdog as he looks to avoid extending his current losing streak to four fights. “Ruthless” has struggled badly during a five-fight stretch that started with a stunning first-round KO loss to Tyron Woodley at UFC 201 that cost him the UFC welterweight title.
The 38-year-old responded with a unanimous decision win over Donald Cerrone at UFC 214, but has come up short in each of his past three outings, capped by a five-round unanimous decision loss to Colby Covington as a +195 underdog at UFC on ESPN 5.
As well, Alexa Grasso is set as heavy -315 chalk in her women’s flyweight tilt with Ji Yeon Kim, while Ricardo Lamas tangles with fellow featherweight Bill Algeo as a -300 favourite.
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