UFC 259: Thiago Santos vs. Aleksandar Rakic Preview, Odds, Prediction

The UFC 259 match between Thiago Santos and Aleksandar Rakic draws the enormous attention of the entire MMA world. We might easily see one of these two guys in the title fight anytime soon, and it appears that tonight’s clash will have a massive impact on both guys’ future. Santos can’ allow suffering one more defeat, because such an outcome would most definitely drop his stocks. On the other side, Rakic needs to continue his rise to reach the opportunity to at least participate in a title-eliminator. Two heavy punchers will most definitely provide us with lots of fun, and hopefully some highlight reel.

Preview

Thiago Santos (21-8 MMA, 13-7 UFC, +165) lost the last bout against Glover Teixeira, via submission in the third round, although he had some chances of beating the compatriots. He would rock the older fighter, but lost his juice along the road, which wasn’t that odd, having in mind all the injury troubles he had previously and his pause. 

After losing to Jon Jones, Marretta, as the fans call him, had multiple surgeries on his knees, as he tore the meniscus, ACL, and various other ligaments. That is why he looked a bit rusty against Glover, who would patiently await Santos’s energy bar to drop before submitting him.

On his long and wealthy list of victims, the Brazilian has big names, such as Anthony Smith, Kevin Holland, Eryk Anders, Jimi Manuwa, the current champion Jan Blachowicz. He is an extremely powerful fighter for this division, with incredibly hard punches and excellent combos. Like every fighter who comes from his country, he knows his way around on the canvas, but he personally prefers to fight from the standup.  

Aleksandar Rakic (13-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC, -160) is one of the most intriguing prospects in the light heavyweight division. Since coming to the UFC, the Serbian has raised a lot of attention and drew a solid fanbase behind him. 

He is primarily a standup fighter, but against Anthony Smith, the Rocket showed that he learned how to fight on the ground as well. His long legs are presenting a problem for every opponent, and we can say that there aren’t many fighters in the division who know to use leg kicks better than Rakic. The Serb is a kick-boxer, and he tends to stay on his feet whenever possible. 

So far, he defeated Jimi Manuwa, Devin Clark, Justin Ledet, and Smith, losing just once, to Volkan Oezdemir via split decision. Many who watch that fight disagreed with the judges’ final decision, insisting that Rakic deserved to win that one. 

Prediction

Rakic would be our choice in this match. There are several reasons for that decision, and the first is his current condition, which is perfect, unlike Santos’. We are more than positive that the Rocket will aim Santos’ knees with his powerful kicks, and try to disable Marretta’s mobility. Glover Teixeira had a bit different tactics, and he would win anyway, but in tonight’s clash, Rakic will be ruthless towards all Santos’ weak spots. Because of that, we are going with the Serb’s win, with the odds at -160.