UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Rakic will air on August 29, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Preliminary Card (ESPN/+)
SEAN BRADY (12-0-0) vs CHRISTIAN “THE BEAST” AGUILERA (14-6-0)
This is a three-round fight in the welterweight division. Brady brings striking and jiu-jitsu. Aguilera brings striking and grappling. Aguilera looks to use his striking to try to take the lead on this fight. He lacks grappling, which Brady will take advantage of. Brady will bring him to the ground and keep him there for the entire fight. My prediction: Brady wins via unanimous decision.
POLYANA “DAMA DE FERRO” VIANA (10-4-0) vs EMILY “SPITFIRE” WHITMIRE (4-3-0)
This is a three-round fight in the women’s strawweight division. Viana brings striking and jiu-jitsu. Whitmire brings Muay Thai and grappling. Whitmire seems to possess better striking from her Muay Thai. That will be proven wrong when she faces the power of Viana. Viana will throw harder strikes and land much more. Whitmire will try to find a way around Viana’s power, but she will be stopped each time by Viana’s aggression. My prediction: Viana wins via knockout in Round 2.
SAPARBEK SAFAROV (9-3-0) vs JULIAN “THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS” MARQUEZ (7-2-0)
This is a three-round fight in the middleweight division. Safarov brings striking, sambo, and wrestling. Marquez brings boxing, Muay Thai, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling. The Muay Thai Marquez possesses seems to be his key to defeating Safarov. Safarov will avoid Marquez’s Muay Thai by using his sambo to bring Marquez to the ground. There he will control Marquez with ease throughout the fight. My prediction: Safarov wins via unanimous decision.
ALEX “BRUCE LEROY” CACERES (16-12-0, 1 NC) vs GIGA CHIKADZE (10-2-0)
This is a three-round fight in the featherweight division. Caceres brings striking and jiu-jitsu. Chikadze brings kickboxing, Muay Thai, and Goju-Ryu Karate. Caceres looks to use his jiu-jitsu to take control of the fight early on. Chikadze will not let that happen as he will use his Muay Thai to keep Caceres cornered. Caceres will try to defend, but he will not be able to withstand Chikadze’s power. My prediction: Chikadze wins via knockout in Round 1.
ALESSIO “MANZO” DI CHIRICO (12-4-0) vs ZAC CUMMINGS (23-7-0)
This is a three-round fight in the middleweight division. Chirico brings striking and jiu-jitsu. Cummings brings Muay Thai, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling. Both bring their techniques; it’s Cummings’ Muay Thai that will make all the difference. He will attack Chirico hard and not give in. Chirico will try to defend, but he will be unable to withstand Cummings’ power. My prediction: Cummings wins via knockout in Round 3.
MALLORY MARTIN (6-3-0) vs HANNAH “SHOCKWAVE” CIFERS (10-6-0)
This is a three-round fight in the women’s strawweight division. Martin brings boxing, Muay Thai, and jiu-jitsu. Cifers brings Muay Thai and jiu-jitsu. Cifers’ Muay Thai looks to be enough to take out Martin. However, Martin holds great Muay Thai and will use it with more aggression. Cifers will be able to land a few good shots, but not as many as Martin will. My prediction: Martin wins via TKO in Round 2.
MAKI “COCONUT BOMBZ” PITOLO (13-6-0) vs IMPA “TSHILOBO” KASANGANAY (7-0-0)
This is a three-round fight in the middleweight division. Pitolo brings striking and jiu-jitsu. Kasanganay brings striking and jiu-jitsu. Both are similar in style; Kasanganay is more well-rounded. He will move faster than Pitolo and throw harder strikes. Pitolo will try doing the same, but he won’t be able to keep up with Kasanganay. My prediction: Kasanganay wins via unanimous decision.
Main Card (ESPN/+)
#14 MAGOMED ANKALAEV (14-1-0) vs ION “THE HULK” CUTELABA (15-5-0, 1 NC)
This is a three-round fight in the light heavyweight division. Ankalaev brings striking, sambo, and wrestling. Cutelaba brings striking, sambo, and wrestling. Both are identical in just about every technique; Ankalaev is the better grappler. He will be able to control Cutelaba better and out grapple him more efficiently. Cutelaba will be able to defend and grapple with Ankalaev. He will grow tired faster and it will cost him. My prediction: Ankalaev wins via unanimous decision.
#13 RYAN “THE WIZARD” HALL (8-1-0) vs RICARDO “THE BULLY” LAMAS (19-8-0)
This is a three-round co-main event in the featherweight division. Hall brings striking and jiu-jitsu. Lamas brings boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, Capoeira, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling. Lamas looks to use his striking abilities to make quick work of Hall as Hall is not a big striker. Hall will not let that happen as he will take Lamas to the ground early-on. Lamas will try to get back up, but Hall will manage to keep him on the ground. My prediction: Hall wins via submission in Round 2.
#14 ALEXA GRASSO (11-3-0) vs JI YEON “FIRE FIST” KIM (9-2-2)
This is a three-round fight in the women’s strawweight division. Grasso brings boxing, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling. Kim brings boxing, Hapkido, Wushu, and jiu-jitsu. Both bring their techniques; Grasso is more well-rounded. She will be faster than Kim and show better defense. Kim will be able to land a few heavy blows to Grasso, but she won’t be able to keep up with her. My prediction: Grasso wins via unanimous decision.
#13 ROBBIE “RUTHLESS” LAWLER (28-14-0, 1 NC) vs #14 NEIL MAGNY (23-7-0)
This is a three-round co-main event in the welterweight division. Lawler brings boxing, karate, and wrestling. He is a former welterweight champion. Magny brings striking, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling. Lawler’s aggression and power look to give Magny trouble right away. However, Lawler has not been the same recently and Magny will take advantage of that. He will withstand many of Lawler’s attacks while countering with his own. Lawler will try to pressure Magny, but Magny will return pressure and not give in. My prediction: Magny wins via unanimous decision.
#5 ANTHONY “LIONHEART” SMITH (33-15-0) vs #8 ALEKSANDER RAKIC (12-2-0)
This is a three-round main event in the light heavyweight division. Smith brings striking and jiu-jitsu. Rakic brings boxing, kickboxing, and wrestling. Both are looking to make a statement with hopes of coming one step closer to a title shot. Smith’s power and heart look to be all he needs to outperform Rakic in this bout. However, Rakic is a tough fighter and always gives his opponent’s hell. He will attack Smith hard and keep him under pressure. Smith will try to make a comeback, but he will receive too much damage to do so. My prediction: Rakic wins via knockout in Round 3.
