UFC: Aleksandar Rakic dominates Anthony Smith and calls for title shot – ‘the belt is next’
- Rakic takes control from bell to bell in UFC Vegas 8 main event, chopping Smith down with leg kicks and smothering him on the ground
- ‘Reyes-Blachowicz winner, it’s me, it’s the next one for Aleksandar Rakic,’ says the Austrian
Aleksandar Rakic proved he belongs with the elite of the UFC light heavyweight division following a dominant unanimous decision against former challenger Anthony Smith.
The 28-year-old Austrian (13-2) controlled things from bell to bell in his first main event at UFC Vegas 8. He chopped “Lionheart” down with brutal leg kicks and suffocated the 32-year-old with top control through all three rounds, earning scorecards of 30-26, 30-27, and 30-27.
“You know what’s next, the belt is next. Reyes-Blachowicz winner, it’s me, it’s the next one for Aleksandar Rakic,” he said in his post-fight interview with Paul Felder inside the UFC Apex, however.
The vacant belt will indeed be decided between Dominick Reyes and Jan Blachowicz at UFC 253 next month, but the next contender is likely to be the winner of the returning Thiago Santos and Glover Teixeira in two weeks.
Either way, Rakic put the division on notice, the dedication of two months holed up away from his family at American Top Team Zagreb in Croatia paying off.