UFC Vegas 8 results: Rakic dominates Smith to leap ahead in light heavyweight division

Las Vegas, August 30: Aleksandar Rakic leapt ahead in the light heavyweight division with a dominant win over Anthony Smith in UFC Vegas 8 (also known as UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Rakic) at the Apex Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday (August 29).

In the main event of the night, number 5 ranked Anthony Smith and number 8 ranked Aleksandar Rakic jockeyed for position in the critical light heavyweight rankings.

Powerful kicks to the legs were the recipe for the first round, and Smith ended up buckling first, which gave Rakic control on the ground. Rakic came out with the same game plan in rounds two and three: throw a few devastating leg kicks and smother on the ground. It was a dominant performance which was reflected by the judges on the score cards.

Rakic commented, "It feels amazing. My first main event and in the fight capital, I had a lot of pressure because many people from my home were watching and supporting me. The pressure is off my shoulders and I'm happy with my performance against a veteran and former title challenger. You know what's next. The belt is next."

And that's THAT.

🇷🇸 @Rakic_UFC sweeps the judges scores at #UFCVegas8. pic.twitter.com/IxJPFSRZjb

— UFC (@ufc) August 30, 2020

In the co-main event, welterweight rankers #13 Robbie Lawler and #14 Neil Magny mixed up their grappling with striking in the first round and Magny came out ahead on the exchanges.

Magny kept control of Lawler for almost the entire second round, and excelled in the third with even more takedowns and significant strikes, getting a clean sweep on the score cards. The win gives him the second most in UFC history at 17, only behind Georges St. Pierre.

Opening up the main card was a featherweight match between heavy veteran Ricardo Lamas and hungry debutant Bill Algeo. Lamas brought the action right from the opening bell, but Algeo made a comeback at the end of the first round, and it carried him through the second. With experience behind him, Lamas utilized his wrestling in the third round with massive ground and pound, and it earned him the unanimous decision.

Pushed the pace for fifteen minutes! 😤

No doubt that @RicardoLamasMMA vs @ElSenorPerfecto is FOTN.

[ B2YB @ToyoTires ] #UFCVegas8 pic.twitter.com/tUnVgor4QU

— UFC (@ufc) August 30, 2020

Kim Ji-Yeon welcomed Alexa Grasso up to the flyweight division with a close first round of toe-to-toe striking. Grasso's punching surged ahead in the second round and she kept her stride in the third, adding in ground and pound for a decisive unanimous decision win.

Due to a positive COVID-19 test, Ion Cutelaba's light heavyweight bout against Magomed Ankalaev wasremoved from the card and will be rescheduled for a later date.

50K for these two subs! 💵@SeanBradyMMA & @MalloryyMartin grabs the POTNs. #UFCVegas8 pic.twitter.com/E9RWboO9Pn

— UFC (@ufc) August 30, 2020

Earlier in the preliminary card, there were decision wins for Zak Cummings and Impa Kasanganay, while Mallory Martin, Alex Caceres, Polyana Viana and Sean Brady earned submission wins in their respective bouts.

UFC Vegas 8 Final Results

Main Card

1. Light Heavyweight bout: Aleksandar Rakic defeated Anthony Smith via unanimous decision

2. Welterweight bout: Neil Magny defeated Robbie Lawler via unanimous decision

3. Women's Flyweight bout: Alexa Grasso defeated Ji Yeon Kim via unanimous decision

4. Featherweight bout: Ricardo Lamas defeated Bill Algeo via unanimous decision

Preliminary card

1. Middleweight bout: Impa Kasanganay defeated Maki Pitolo via unanimous decision

2. Women's Strawweight bout: Mallory Martin defeated Hannah Cifers via second-round submission

3. Middleweight bout: Zak Cummings defeated Alessio Di Chirico via unanimous decision

4. Featherweight bout: Alex Caceres defeated Austin Springer via first-round submission

5. Women's Flyweight bout: Polyana Viana defeated Emily Whitmire via first-round submission

6. Welterweight bout: Sean Brady defeated Christian Aguilera via second-round submission