UFC Fight Night: Smith vs Rakic Odds & Picks

Once again, the UFC will be in the Apex in Las Vegas this coming weekend. This time, it will be Fight Night 175 that is on the docket, with 5 fights set to go on the main card. It has to be said that this looks like a pretty loaded event, but we do have one change from what you may have been expecting. Ryan Hall was forced to withdraw from his featherweight bout with Ricardo Lamas. There will still be a fight in this slot, though, with Bill Algeo stepping in to take the place of Hall. Please keep an eye open for other potential changes and cancellations, but for now, let’s take a look at the 5 main card fights that are scheduled to go, along with their MMA odds.

MMA Smith vs Rakic Betting Preview – UFC Fight Night

Magomed Ankalaev (-315) Vs Ion Cutelaba (+255)

The MMA gods seem to have gone out of their way to stop us from seeing this light heavyweight matchup, as this will be the 4th attempt at making it happen. Ankalaev won by TKO against Cutelaba when they last met, but subsequent attempts at a rematch have failed for various reasons, the latest of which was Cutelaba testing positive for COVID-19 just a few short weeks ago. It is odd to see him back in the octagon so soon after that diagnosis, which is why I am on Ankalaev to win again.

Ricardo Lamas (-310) Vs Bill Algeo (+250)

This one is a bit of a disappointment in that the scheduled bout between Lamas and Ryan Hall looked to be a great one before Hall had to bow out. The late addition of Algeo takes a lot of the shine off, as the UFC newbie is likely on to a bit of a beating here. That said, Lamas was badly beaten his last time out and has been out of action for over a year. Still, he should be more than good enough to get the win in this one.

Ji Yeon Kim (+240) Vs Alexa Grasso (-300)

The women’s flyweight division is about as competitive as it gets, so this is a big fight for both of these ladies as they look to move up the ranks. Kim is 3-2 under the UFC banner, so is still a relative newcomer, albeit one with a ton of upside. It may still be a while before she moved into contender status. You have to say that Grasso is already there, going 11-3 in her pro career and taking out some very good fighters along the way. This has the potential to be a great fight, but I have Grasso taking it.

Robbie Lawler (+185) Vs Neil Magny (-225)

This is another fight that was different than the originally billed bout. Magny was supposed to face Geoff Neal here, but Neal was forced out by pneumonia. Landing Lawler as a fill-in might actually make this a much tastier proposition. Lawler has not fought in a year and has not had a win since way back in 2017, but he is a bug name and a tougher test for Magny than Neal would have been. I think that we might just see this one go the distance, with Magny getting the win via UD.

Ryan Smith (+205) Vs Aleksandar Rakic (-265)

The light heavyweights will close out the night, with this one being something of a quick turnaround for Ryan Smith. He was last seen in May going against Glover Teixeira, a fight where Smith was rather soundly beaten. The feeling then was that Smith might take some time off to get himself together, but here he is looking to improve upon his 33-15 record. Rakic needs to be looking at this as a real opportunity to tale another step up the ranks against a fighter coming off a bad loss. I think he wins this one by KO.

I have read enough, I need to place my bet now. What to do?