MMA Preview – Thiago Santos vs Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 259
THIAGO SANTOS VS ALEKSANDAR RAKIC FACTS
When is UFC 259? Sunday 7th March, 2021 - 01:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC 259? UFC APEX, Las Vegas, Nevada (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC 259? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC events
What channel is UFC 259 on? BT Sport 2
Where can I stream UFC 259? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT Sport website
For viewers in the United States, the event will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
THIAGO SANTOS VS ALEKSANDAR RAKIC LOWDOWN
Thiago Santos (21-8) is coming off two losses for the second time in his career, but they were to Jon Jones and Glover Teixeira. Who can forget his valiant effort against the light heavyweight ‘GOAT’ where he became the first man to get the nod from a judge against Jones in a split decision and he did so fighting the majority of the fight with a blown out left knee and an injured right. He made a quick recovery considering he was wheelchair-bound for a while but took on Teixeira back in November who is in the form of his career and got out grappled losing a submission. Now he yearns for another sledgehammering streak similar to the one prior the losses that included knocking out the current champion Jan Blachowicz.
Aleksandar Rakic (13-2) has been tearing it up himself with Santos representing one of the final hurdles before a title shot. His blasted his way into the top 10 during a monster 12-fight win streak which included his first four UFC fights. He dipped his toe into the light heavyweight waters with unanimous decisions over Francimar Barroso and Justin Ledet before showcasing his scary power knocking out Devin Clark and Jimi Manuwa which was one of the scariest head kick knockouts we have seen. He then had a blip against Volkan Oezdemir just missing out on a split decision but got straight back on track with a classy unanimous decision against Anthony Smith.
THIAGO SANTOS VS ALEKSANDAR RAKIC PREDICTION
These guys are absolute monsters with the technique to match their devastating power. They can both grapple, in particular Santos as a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu but their striking is so lethal, grappling has been surplus to requirements so far.
We are in for a treat on the feet and as this is only three rounds it should be even more explosive. Rakic boasts a two-inch arm and four-inch leg reach advantage which will be important the longer this stays technical. If the fight spills out into a brawl either man can fall but Rakic will not want to risk trading careless leather with Santos who is born for a slugfest.
Rakic is the favourite but that is only because Santos has lost his last two. Performance-wise, the only question mark was his game plan against Teixeira, and this is obviously a more favourable match-up for him.
However, his knee injuries are impossible to ignore when he relies on his legs to generate all his power especially his kicks. Rakic also has thunderous leg kicks and if he lands just one clean on Santos’ knee, you just do not know how it will hold up.
Decisions or knockouts either way are likely and a Santos decision represents all the value if you are betting especially if he is as patient as he was in the Blachowicz fight. However, Rakic is expected to pull out a composed performance and his leg kicks could dictate how long the fight lasts.
Prediction: Rakic via Decision - CLICK HERE FOR PARIMATCH'S WELCOME OFFER (BET £5, GET £30 IN BONUSES!)
Value Bet: Santos via Decision
