UFC on ESPN+ 33 breakdown: Will Aleksandar Rakic resume his ascension against Anthony Smith? – MMA Junkie

The main event in Las Vegas features a fun light heavyweight matchup between two men who love to punctuate their presence on the feet.

Embracing more of a traditional muay Thai arsenal, Anthony Smith brings a well-rounded skill set of violence to the table. Carrying a menacing feel to the way in which he marches down his opposition, Smith is capable of making pressure his friend, using it to fuel his forward assaults.

Despite his long reach and frame, the Nebraska native does a deceptively good job at changing his ranges on strikes mid-stroke or combination, following fleeing opponents when appropriate. Traditionally favoring to fight on the inside, Smith keeps an array of unforgiving elbows and knees at the ready, especially when going into or off of clinch breaks.

However, since working more exclusively with coaches like Marc Montoya and James Krause, Smith has also shown an improved jab and overall striking process, using it to either set up or disrupt offense. That said, defense has not typically been Smiths strongest suit, which means he will need to mind the returns of Aleksandar Rakic.

Utilizing his long and athletic frame, Rakics striking base shines through in his flexibility of approach.

In his first few fights under the UFC banner, Rakic demonstrated an ability to pressure effectively behind his kickboxing, mixing in leg kicks and level-changing takedown threats to boot. And in his latest outing opposite Volkan Oezdemir, Rakic showed more of his countering savvy, electing to play a bit more on the outside as he looked to come over the shoulders or underneath the guard off of Oezdemirs offense.

Although Rakic clearly carries the confidence of a young fighter, the 28-year-old, to his credit, does well at staying defensively aware (relative to his contemporaries, anyways). Whether he is rolling his head off crosses or slipping off of the lead side, Rakic does a decent job of moving his head and maintaining the range to his liking.

Regardless if Rakic looks to come forward or counter, I suspect hell be looking for the uppercut given the success Glover Teixeira had with it against Smith. But if Rakic starts to slip or look too liberally for his shots, then he runs the risk of eating a sweeping head kick or hook from his formidable foe.

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UFC on ESPN+ 33 breakdown: Will Aleksandar Rakic resume his ascension against Anthony Smith? - MMA Junkie