Anthony Smith expects to receive a title shot should he win his next fight in the Octagon.
Smith is 6-2 under the UFC banner and holds wins over the likes of Mauricio Rua, Rashad Evans, and Hector Lombard. In his most recent bout, he beat former UFC light heavyweight champ Rua by KO in July in Hamburg, Germany.
Now, he will meet the toughest challenge thus far in his pro MMA career. He’s slated to fight Volkan Oezdemir in the main event of UFC Moncton. The fight marks the first UFC headliner for Smith and Oezdemir.
In a recent interview, Smith made it known that he thinks should he be next in line for a title shot if he beats the former title contender. This would mean he would fight the winner of the vacant light heavyweight title bout between Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson in the main event of UFC 232. This event goes down inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Dec. 29.
Expecting A Title Shot
Smith made this statement during a recent appearance on UFC Unfiltered (H/T via MMA Weekly):
“Outside of the two guys fighting for the title, (Oezdemir) is the top ranked guy, so I think it’s a good opportunity for me for sure. I honestly don’t know what else I would have to do. If I could go in there and I could put a dominant performance on Volkan and get a finish like I think I’m going to. I’ve spent my whole career since I was 17 years old chasing this dream.”
Smith then described his goal in MMA. That’s fighting to the point he believes he’s truly deserving of a title shot. He thinks a win in his next fight will clearly put him there:
“My dream has always been to put myself in a position where I can comfortably ask for a title shot. I think that this is my moment, I think this is the opportunity. I don’t know what else I’d have to do. You beat the guy that’s the next one below the guys fighting for the title, I don’t know who else I’d have to beat.”
UFC Moncton is set to take place on Saturday, October 27, 2018, at Moncton Coliseum in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. The main card will air on FOX Sports 1. The preliminary card will be split broadcasted on FOX Sports 1 and the promotion’s streaming service, UFC Fight Pass.
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