UFC Announces Anthony Smith vs. Aleksandar Rakic As Three-Round Headliner For August 29 Card
Anthony Smith and Aleksandar Rakic has been promoted to the main event of the UFC Fight Night event on August 29.
The announcement was made during the UFC 252 preliminary card broadcast by commentator Jon Anik.
Smith will serve in his sixth consecutive top-billing as he looks to bounce back against fellow ranked light-heavyweight Rakic. The fifth-ranked Smith and eighth-ranked Rakic were already scheduled for the card. A featherweight fight between Zabit Magomedsharipov and Yair Rodriguez was expected to headline on August 29 but Rodriguez pulled out with an injury.
Considering the short-notice nature of the upgrade, Smith vs. Rakic will remain a three-round affair. A similar incident occurred on August 1 when Derek Brunson vs. Edmen Shahbazyan was moved up to the main event slot on short notice.
Smith (33-15) looks to bounce back from an uncomfortable fifth-round TKO loss to Glover Teixeira in May; meanwhile, Rakic hopes to recover from his first UFC loss against Volkan Oezdemir on December 21 in Busan, South Korea.
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