Already an intriguing matchup when the fight was first announced, the bout atop the marquee this weekend in Las Vegas has become even more compelling and integral to determining what the light heavyweight division looks like heading into the fall in the wake of long-time champion Jon Jones relinquishing his title.
Top contenders Dominick Reyes and Jan Blachowicz will battle for the vacant belt next month at UFC 253, with veteran Brazilians and former title challengers Glover Teixeira and Thiago Santos slated to do battle two weeks earlier.
Those two matchups feature the top four fighters in the rankings at the moment, with Smith currently holding down the No. 5 spot, which means the opportunity is there for Rakic to enter the title conversation with a strong performance against the experienced veteran in his first UFC main event this weekend.
“Anthony is an experienced guy,” Rakic said of the 48-fight veteran, who enters Saturday’s contest off a fifth-round stoppage loss to Teixeira in May. “He fought five rounds against Jon (Jones) and has fought many former champions — Rashad (Evans), Shogun (Rua)— and he’s a good opponent at this time for me.
“He has the lion heart, like his nickname, he’s mentally very strong and he can take a beating, plus he can also bring it and finish people. But I’m the most explosive guy in the division — that’s why they call me ‘Rocket’ — and I’m going to show that on Saturday night.”
“This fight is the biggest fight of my career and the most important fight for me,” added Rakic. “I wasn’t with my family for almost two months. I went through hell in Zagreb and someone needs to pay for that and it’s going to be Anthony Smith. I need to make a statement and I will make a statement on Saturday.”