“I would venture to guess it’s going to be really hard for me to stay humble talking to Joe Rogan afterwards, because the outpouring of hatred has been incredible.”
Anthony Smith has received an ‘outpouring of hated’ ahead of the biggest fight of his career at UFC 235.
Smith, who will challenge Jon Jones for the light heavyweight title in the UFC 235 main event, says it will be difficult to stay humble should he pull off the upset on March 2nd.
“[My coach Marc Montoya] tells me all the time that I need to worry about impressing myself and no one else, and that’s the piece that I’m going to struggle with a little bit,” Smith said Monday on The MMA Hour, per MMA Fighting’s Shaun Al-Shatti. “I would venture to guess it’s going to be really hard for me to stay humble talking to Joe Rogan afterwards, because the outpouring of hatred has been incredible. It doesn’t necessarily bother me too much, but it is a little bit shocking. Like, how so many people can care so much one way or the other just blows my mind. But there is a little bit of the ‘sticking it to the haters’ feeling there, for sure.”
Despite being ranked in the top-three, ‘Lionheart’ is a massive eight-to-one underdog against Jones heading into their light heavyweight championship tilt at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Perhaps, due to his underdog status, fans think Smith is undeserving of a title shot. Smith says the brunt of hatred came when the fight was first announced in January, and that the negativity has simmered down somewhat as the bout draws nearer.
“When it first happened, it was a little bit shocking when I first started,” Smith said. “But honestly, at this point I’ve kinda gotten used to it, and as the fight gets closer and closer, I do see that it’s changing a little bit. I don’t see as many, ‘Jon Jones is going to beat you ass, you p*ssy,’ comments as much anymore. I see a lot of guys hoping. I don’t see a whole lot of believers, but I see a lot of people that really, really hope.
“Overall, as a broad spectrum, that’s kinda how it’s been,” Smith added, “and I understand it and I’m looking forward to winning and changing everybody’s minds, that’s for sure.”
UFC 235: Jones vs. Smith takes place next month, March 2nd at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The highly anticipated PPV will also feature a co-headlining welterweight championship bout between Tyron Woodley and Kamaru Usman.