UFC Fight Night 153: Gustafsson vs Smith - Odds, Predictions and How to Watch

Where: Ericsson Globe – Stockholm, Sweden.

When: Saturday, June 1, 1PM EST

How (TV/Radio): ESPN+, TSN

Alexander Gustafsson (18-5) vs. Anthony Smith (31-14) – Light-heavyweight division

Both Alexander Gustafsson and his opponent Anthony Smith are coming off losses – both in title fights and both against light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Gustafsson was TKO’ed by Jones in the third round of their December 29, 2018 bout at UFC 232. Smith went the distance with Jones, losing a five-round unanimous decision to the champion back on March 2 at UFC 235. The two contenders now face each other in an attempt to climb back into title contention as Jones prepares for his July 6 matchup against Thiago Santos

Prior to his loss to Jones, Gustafsson, 32, was on a two-fight winning streak which saw him defeat Glover Teixeira by devastating knockout and also earn a unanimous decision victory over Jan Blachowicz. Gustafsson is currently ranked at number two in the light-heavyweight rankings of the UFC.

”The Mauler” stands at 6 feet, 5 inches tall and has a reach of 79 inches. He trains out of Stockholm, Sweden – the host city for this event. There he trains with Alliance MMA. Gustafsson has a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Anthony Smith, 30, was riding a wave of momentum heading into his title fight with Jones as he was on a three-fight win streak, knocking out legends such as Rashad Evans and Mauricio Rua. He also defeated Volkan Oezdemir. His last loss before Jones came against Thiago Santos (Jones’ next opponent) back on February 3, 2018. He is currently ranked at number four in the division.

”Lionheart” is 6 feet, 3 inches tall and he has a 76 inch reach – giving up a slight advantage in both categories to his opponent. Smith fights out of Omaha, Nebraska with the Factory X gym. He has a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

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Volkan Oezdemir (15-4) vs. Ilir Latifi (14-6-1) – Light-heavyweight division

Volkan Oezdemir, 29, is coming off of a somewhat controversial decision loss to division prospect Dominick Reyes – a fight that most believe Oezdemir won. The loss to Reyes marked his third defeat in a row after winning five straight which earned him a title shot against then-champion Daniel Cormier. Oezdemir is ranked at number seven in the light-heavyweight division.

”No Time” is 6 feet, 1 inch tall and possesses a 75 inch reach. He fights out of his hometown of Fribourg, Switzerland, training with Combat Club. Before MMA, Oezdemir was a professional kickboxer and made the move to mixed martial arts with an undefeated 5-0 kickboxing record.

Ilir Latifi, 35, is another Swedish-born fighter on the card. Latifi is currently ranked ninth in the UFC light-heavyweight division. His last fight was on December 29, 2018 at UFC 232 where he lost a unanimous decision to Corey Anderson. Prior to that, Latifi had won two fights in a row against Ovince St. Preux and Tyson Pedro.

”The Sledgehammer” gives up a significant height advantage to his opponent as he stands at only 5 feet, 8 inches tall. He has a 73 inch reach. Latifi has mostly a boxing style and he trains out of Stockholm, Sweden with trainers Andreas Michael and Selmon Berisha at Allstars Training Center. He reached the national level for Swedish wrestling.

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Jimi Manuwa (17-5) vs. Aleksandar Rakic (11-1) – Light-heavyweight division

This card continues to intertwine as Jimi Manuwa, 39, last tasted victory on March 18, 2017 where he defeated Corey Anderson – the last man to beat Latifi. Manuwa has lost three fights in a row. The man to hand him his first of those three losses? Volkan Oezdemir. Manuwa’s last fight was on December 8, 2018 where he lost by second-round KO to Thiago Santos – the next title challenger. Manuwa is officially ranked at number 11 in the division.

”Poster Boy” stands at 6 feet, 1 inch tall. He has a 79.5 inch reach. The British fighter trains out of London, England with Allstars Training Center. He has a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Aleksandar Rakic, 27, hasn’t lost a fight since his first. He started his career 0-1 and is now 11-1. Rakic’s last fight also came on the UFC 231 card on December 8, 2018. He defeated Devin Clark via first-round TKO. This fight against Manuwa will be his fourth appearance under the UFC banner.

Rakic brings the height advantage, standing at 6 feet, 5 inches tall, but gives up 1.5 inches of reach to his opponent. Rakic fights out of Vienna, Austria. There, he trains with Gym 23 and also puts in some work with American Top Team.

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Makwan Amirkhani (14-3) vs. Chris Fishgold (10-4) – Featherweight division

Makwan Amirkhani, 30, may be best known for his eight-second knockout over Andy Ogle via a flying knee but his last three fights have tested his mettle – all going the distance with one unanimous victory, one split-decision victory, and one split-decision loss. He last fought Jason Knight on May 27, 2018.

”Mr. Finland” stands at 5 feet, 10 inches tall and has a 72 inch reach. He is part of the SBG Ireland team and has been active in MMA since 2010.

Chris Fishgold, 26, will be making his third UFC appearance Saturday night. He currently has a record of 1-1 in the UFC, last defeating Daniel Teymur by submission on February 23 of this year. He had lost his UFC debut to Calvin Kattar by first-round TKO.

Fishgold stands at 5 feet, 8 inches tall and has a reach of 68 inches – giving up four inches of reach to his opponent. He fights out of Liverpool, England where he trains with Next Generation MMA.

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Damir Hadzovic (13-4) vs. Christos Giagos (16-7) – Lightweight division

Damir Hadzovic, 32, is coming off of his second victory in a row. Hadzovic last saw action on February 23 where he fought and defeated Marco Polo Reyes by second-round TKO. Prior to that, he had defeated Nick Hein by unanimous decision on July 22, 2018.

”The Bosnian Bomber” is 5 feet, 11 inches tall and has a 70 inch reach. He fights out of Copenhagen, Denmark where he trains with Arte Suave Copenhagen. He has a wrestling and boxing style and also has a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Christos Giagos, 29, will be making his third UFC appearance. After losing his UFC debut against Charles Oliveira in September of 2018, Giagos bounced back by defeating Mizuto Hirota by unanimous decision on December 2, 2018.

”The Spartan” is 5 feet, 10 inches tall and he will have a one-inch reach advantage over his opponent. Giagos fights out of Hawthorne, California with the Black House team. He has been an active fighter since 2010.

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Daniel Teymur (6-3) vs. Sung Bin Jo (9-0) – Featherweight division

Daniel Teymur, 31, was undefeated heading into the UFC but has yet to earn a victory inside the octagon. He has lost three in a row under the banner, his most recent loss coming on February 23 against the aforementioned Chris Fishgold. He has a 27-4 kickboxing record.

”Kid Dynamite” stands at 5 feet, 5 inches tall and has a reach of 69 inches. He, too, fights out of Stockholm, Sweden at the Allstars Training Center. He has been active in MMA since 2013 and has a foundation in muay thai.

Sung Bin Jo, 26, is an undefeated professional fighter making his UFC debut. All nine of Jo’s fights ended by stoppage. He last fought on February 23, 2018 at TFC 17 where he won in the fourth round via TKO.

”The Korean Falcon” will have a six-inch height advantage over his opponent in the bout. He fights out of Seoul, South Korea with Extreme Combat.

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