UFC 308: Magomed Ankalaev vs Aleksandar Rakic Odds, Picks & Predictions

Magomed Ankalaev faces off against Aleksandar Rakic on the main card for UFC 308 Saturday from the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

This could be a title eliminator in the light heavyweight division and UFC odds have Ankalaev installed as a -385 favorite with Rakic coming back at +280. That said, my Ankalaev vs. Rakic predictions think this line is a bit too wide so I'm swinging on a big plus money bet for this showdown on October 26.

Ankalaev vs Rakic prediction and pick

• My fight prediction
  Rakic moneyline (+280 at BET99)
  
  
• My best bet
  Rakic by decision (+675 at BET99)

Fight analysis

Magomed Ankalaev is undefeated in his last 11 trips to the octagon and he's coming off a knockout win against Johnny Walker earlier this year after settling for a "no contest" against Walker in 2023. Ankalaev's previous opponent was Jan Blachowicz and they fought to a draw for the vacant belt two years ago.  

Ankalaev opened at -200 against Blachowicz before closing at -350 and he's been similarly steamed by bettors in other bouts. He's often failed to impress as a massive favorite and with his line moving from -250 to -385 for this matchup, the betting value is on the underdog.

Sure, Rakic is fresh off a knockout loss to Jiri Prochazka but he won the opening round before being drawn into the firefight and getting knocked out by the hard-hitting Prochazka in the second. Rakic throws brutal leg kicks and that will be a key weapon against Ankalaev who struggled to check the calf kicks of Blachowicz.

Ankalaev likes to mix in his wrestling and establish top control but Rakic is a massive light heavyweight who rehydrates to 230 pounds on fight night and has the strength to frame against the fence and avoid being controlled on the ground.

In addition, Ankalaev is a slow starter who doesn't come out of the gate with much urgency and tends to give away the first round. In a three-round bout, all Rakic will have to do is put together another competitive round and he could sneak away with a victory.

Best best analysis

Rakic's last fight ended in the second round but that was against the hyper-aggressive Prochazka who is willing to tank hits and attack recklessly. Before that, Rakic faced off against Blachowicz and that bout looked like it was going the distance before he suffered a non-contact knee injury in the third round. 

Prior to that fight against Blachowicz, Rakic had gone the distance in his previous three fights. Likewise, while Ankalaev is fresh off a knockout win against the notoriously chinny Johnny Walker, four of his previous five bouts went to the judges' cards.

Both of these guys have good technical kickboxing but they don't throw at a high volume and tend to be patient with their striking. They also like to control opponents on the mat or against the cage which will neutralize the offense of both fighters and drain time off the clock.

It seems likely that this fight will go the distance and since I like the value on the underdog, backing Rakic to win by decision is a tempting wager at +675.

Magomed Ankalaev vs Aleksandar Rakic odds

Method of Victory	Ankalaev	Rakic
To win outright	-385	+275
To win by KO/TKO	+215	+675
To win by decision	-115	+640
To win by submission	+2000	+2800
Draw	+2500	+2500

Odds as of 10-26.

Bet on the UFC at BET99!

One of Canada's best sportsbooks for UFC betting, join BET99 and get up to $1,000 bonus bets back if your first bet doesn’t win when using our BET99 promo code COVERSBONUS!

Sign Up Now at 

^{*Not available in Ontario}

Magomed Ankalaev vs Aleksandar Rakic tale of the tape

Pages related to this topic