Just three months after suffering a vicious defeat at the hands of Glover Teixeira, Anthony Smith returns to the octagon to face up-and-coming Austrian light heavyweight Aleksander Rakic.

With Rakic as a sizable favourite, Smith needs to prove that he will be able to bounce back from the punishment endured in his previous outing, which many would argue went on for too long.

The co-main event features the return of Robbie Lawler, who accepted a bout against Neil Magny on short notice and will look to bounce back after suffering three consecutive losses.

Rakic looks to make the leap into title contention

Aleksander Rakic (-270) vs. Anthony Smith (+230)

After just three months off following his punishing loss to Teixeira, Smith returns to the octagon for his sixth straight main-event bout, a three-round affair against Rakic.

Following a 4-0 start to his UFC career, Rakic had his first stumble in his last bout, a split decision that went the way of his opponent, Volkan Oezdemir. Now he gets a second opportunity to get on the fast track to title contention.

Why?:

Chalk this one up to recency bias. Smith entered as a big favourite against Teixeira and left with as prolonged of a beating as you’ll ever see a UFC athlete endure.

That image is the lasting one of Smith that sports bettors have when they hear his name, and it’s difficult to blame them.

Rakic is eight months removed from his closely contested bout with Oezdemir, an opponent Smith has previously beaten.

The only way to explain this line is that few believe Smith can bounce back so soon after a demoralizing loss.

Given that Rakic has not beaten an upper-echelon opponent, this is a buyer beware situation for Rakic backers.

One angle to look at is for Smith to win in the third round (+1900). Smith has several late finishes and has one of the better gas tanks in the division.

Robbie’s Return

Robbie Lawler (+200) vs. Neil Magny (-240)

The former welterweight king is back following a year off as a 38-year-old Lawler tries to earn his first win in more than three years against Magny, who is 4-1 in his past five.

Why?:

Lawler’s three-fight losing skid is against top-of-the-food-chain welterweights like former title challenger Colby Covington, former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos and Ben Askren, who was undefeated at the time.

With Lawler’s most recent showing being a lopsided loss to Covington, his championship days feel like a distant memory, while Magny has already earned two wins in 2020.

This is a good litmus test to see where Lawler is at in his career and is the lowest-ranked welterweight that Lawler has fought since he faced Bobby Volker in July, 2013.

Magny has some advantages in this fight on paper, as Lawler has had a difficult time against fighters who are taller and effective at distance.

The line for this bout shows that most believe Lawler’s best days are far behind him.

The rematch

Magomed Ankalaev (-350) vs. Ion Cutelaba (+290)

Following a controversial finish to their bout that took place exactly six months prior to the date of the rematch, Ankalaev looks to prove that his win was no fluke against the native of Moldova.

Why?

Ankalaev is the rightful favourite and while the odds are a bit long, Ankalaev has championship potential.

Riding a four-fight win streak and with his lone loss coming with just one second remaining in his UFC debut, Ankalaev has been imposing his will on his opponents.

During his UFC tenure, the 26-year-old Cutelaba has refined his skills and will be a difficult opponent for Ankalaev.

Their first bout was marred in controversy when Cutelaba pretended that he was hurt and unfortunately fooled the referee, who subsequently called off the bout.

The line for that bout was tighter than this bout, but given that Cutelaba suffered a loss, albeit controversially, in their first matchup, it makes sense that Ankalaev enters as a bigger favourite.

Odds and Ends:
- Smith is 4-5 as an underdog in his MMA career
- Rakic has never been an underdog in his UFC career and is 4-1
- Magny is 10-1 as a favourite in his UFC career
- Lawler is 4-4 as an underdog in his UFC career
- Ankalaev has never been less than a 2-to-1 favourite in a UFC bout
- This is the sixth time in seven fights that Hannah Cifers has been an underdog, she is 1-4 as an underdog in the UFC

Odds courtesy: 5 Dimes