LAS VEGAS – Another week and another action-packed fight card from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas Nevada. Headlining this card was two light heavyweight contenders looking to return to the winning column after tough losses.
Smith vs. Rakic
In the three-round main event, we saw the veteran Anthony Smith take on the rising contender Aleksandar Rakic in a pretty non-competitive bout.
Rakic was able to dominate Smith with nasty leg kicks and offensive grappling for the three-round distance. Smith’s durability kept him in the fight much like it always does but wasn’t enough to create a finishing opportunity for him.
Rakic comes out firing to open the third!! #UFCVegas8 pic.twitter.com/bHSODb1EjG
— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) August 30, 2020
Unanimous for @rakic_ufc in your #UFCVegas8 main event! 👊 pic.twitter.com/eS3pqI8Yd7
— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) August 30, 2020
What’s Next for the Fighter’s
For Rakic, I would love to see him take on Jiri Prochazka next. Jiri is coming off of a huge UFC debut win over Volkan Oezdemir, and with Rakic coming off of this win over Smith, he will be ranked somewhere between 5 and 7. This is the perfect fight to make for the Light Heavyweight division. The winner of this fight would be one fight away from a title shot.
For Smith, I’m not sure what his plan is. Assuming he’s still going to try to fight his way back to the title, I think the next fight for him is a fight against Oezdemir. Both are coming off of losses and it makes the most sense rankings wise.
Magny vs. Lawler
In the co-main event, we saw another dominating performance from Neil Magny over the long time veteran Robbie Lawler. This fight was a clinic put on by Magny. He outstruck Lawler making it tough for him to gain footing, then out grappled him as well, with multiple submission attempts.
💪 @NeilMagny did it ALL in this one! #UFCVegas8 pic.twitter.com/teoJ7rzXAP
— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) August 30, 2020
Unanimous for @NeilMagny in your #UFCVegas8 co-main! 👏 👏 #UFCVegas8 pic.twitter.com/ekhmtYKpMq
— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) August 30, 2020
What’s Next for the Fighters
For Magny, I would love to see him get re-booked against Geoff Neal. That is the perfect next step for him and is a great fight for both guys.
For Lawler, I think it’s time for only the bigger fights. He should fight the likes of Anthony Pettis and Donald Cerrone in his next fights. I can’t see him making another title run and I think he is well aware of that as well. So now is the time for him to cash in on big fights and then cash out.
Results
Main Card
Aleksandar Rakic def. Anthony Smith via Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Neil Magny def. Robbie Lawler via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Alexa Grasso def. Ji Yeon Kim via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Ricardo Lamas def. Bill Algeo via Unanimous Decision (29-26, 29-27, 29-27)
Preliminary Card
Impa Kasanganay def. Maki Pitolo via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Mallory Martin def. Hannah Cifers via Rear-Naked Choke Submission in Round 2 (1:33)
Alex Caceres def. Austin Springer via Rear-Naked Choke Submission in Round 1 (3:38)
Zak Cummings def. Alessio Di Chirico via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Polyana Viana def. Emily Whitmire via Armbar Submission in Round 1 (1:53)
Sean Brady def. Christian Aguilera via Guillotine Submission in Round 2 (1:47)
