UFC on ESPN+ 33: Smith vs. Rakic takes place on Saturday, August 29 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The offshore sportsbooks recently opened up the betting odds for the full card, and here they are.
UFC on ESPN+ 33 Odds
Aleksandar Rakic -235
Anthony Smith +200
Neil Magny -140
Robbie Lawler +120
Alexa Grasso -250
Ji Yeon Kim +210
Magomed Ankalaev -320
Ion Cutelaba +260
Impa Kasanganay -115
Maki Pitolo -115
Ricardo Lamas -265
Bill Algeo +185
Zak Cummings -140
Alessio Di Chirico +120
Alex Caceres -195
Kevin Croom +170
Polyana Viana -115
Emily Whitmire -105
Sean Brady -350
Christian Aguilera +285
Hannah Cifers -170
Mallory Martin +145
Here are my initial thoughts on the UFC on ESPN+ 33 Opening Odds:
- The main event for this card is a three-round fight between two of the top-10 light heavyweights in the world in Smith and Rakic. Smith is coming off of a brutal TKO loss to Glover Teixeira while Rakic was recently handed his first UFC loss by Volkan Oezdemir. Both guys have had some incredible performances in the UFC and both guys have knockout power, but both men have their flaws too. Rakic being a bit younger and fresher gives him the edge at the sportsbooks, but Smith is a guy who has found a way to win many fights as an underdog.
- The co-main event is a really fun fight between welterweights Magny and Lawler, who is filling in on short notice for Geoff Neal. Magny has won his last two fights while Lawler has last three straight, albeit to elite competition. Magny has been more active and hasn’t taken as much damage as Lawler has in his career so he’s favored here. But Lawler, just like Smith in the fight before, is someone who has won time and time again as an underdog in a spot like this.
- Another fight with big odds sees women’s flyweights Grasso and Kim go at it. Grasso has always been a highly-touted prospect but has been disappointing in the UFC with just a 3-3 record. She is moving up to 125lbs for the first time where she meets Kim, who is 3-2 in the UFC. Grasso is a technical striker but she lacks power in her strikes and it will be interesting to see if she can hang with the women in this weight class. Kim is the bigger fighter in this matchup and she could be another live dog. Make sure to watch the weigh-ins for this fight.
- After Ryan Hall fell off the card, the UFC was thankfully able to get Lamas a fight against Algeo. Lamas has been one of the best featherweights in the UFC for years, but he’s 38 years old now and has lost three of his last four fights. Algeo, meanwhile, is making his UFC debut fresh off of a win in CFFC. Lamas is a guy who has been underrated his whole career, but with a declining chin and Algeo having some knockout power, this is potentially another tricky spot.
- At middleweight, I’m liking Kasanganay over Pitolo in what was a Pick ’em fight at the opener. Kasanganay is a guy who is just two years into his MMA career and although he didn’t finish either of his Contender Series fights, he did win them both while showing improvements. Pitolo is dangerous with his striking as we saw on Contender Series and against Charles Byrd, but he has holes in his grappling which is where Kasangany will want to take control of this fight.
