Tag: Anthony Smith

UFC 310 was an incredibly difficult night for Anthony Smith who in the featured prelim, suffered a loss to Dominick Reyes. It was clear from the first few seconds of his walk out that this fight would be unlike any other for the former title challenger following the recent loss of his longtime friend and coach, Scott Morton.

Smith was visibly struggling to keep it together on his walk to the cage which is completely understandable when you consider what he was going through. After being stopped in the second round, he told Joe Rogan in his post-fight interview that in the moment, he thought this would “probably” be the last fight of his career.

In a recent interview with SiriusXM, Smith spoke openly about his mental state going into that fight and how he wasn’t able to control his emotions despite believing that he would be able to “power through it”. He also gave more context to one of the most alarming moments in the fight where it looked like he was allowing Reyes to repeatedly punch him without defending or throwing anything back.

Reyes later came out and said that his opponent was asking to be hit and given what was on the line for him, he obliged. “Lionheart” explained why he did this and how he had a huge realization during the fight which could impact whether he decides to return to the Octagon or not.

“I got impatient,” Smith said. “I just wanted something to f*cking happen. I just forced it. I just got impatient. Nothing was happening. He wasn’t engaging. I’d seen everything. That was the worst part, too. I was in there, and I was like, ‘Goddamn, you’re not that good.’ And then it hit me like, ‘F*ck, maybe I’m not either.’

“Maybe I’m not either anymore. The left hand wasn’t nearly as fast as I expected it to be. I think I over-predicted how good he was going to be on his feet. He landed a shot here or there, and then at some point where I was like, ‘F*cking hit me or something. I need to f*cking feel something. Give me something here.’”

UFC 310 was always going to be a difficult moment for Anthony Smith, but it now looks like it might have been the last time fans see him compete inside the Octagon.

In the featured prelim at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, former light heavyweight title challengers met for the first time as “Lionheart” took on Dominick Reyes.

The entire fight week has been a particularly emotional one for Smith following the loss of his best friend and longtime cornerman, Scott Morton, last month. He chose to compete in order to channel his energy into something positive, but it was clear as he made his walkout that the moment was affecting him.

Daniel Cormier and Joe Rogan questioned on commentary whether Smith should have been stepping inside the Octagon in that state, and that conversation only continued after he appeared to fight recklessly at points in the opening round. In the second, Reyes took full control of the contest, and after landing lots of ground-and-pound with his opponent seemingly reluctant to change the position, “The Devastator” secured back-to-back wins.

In his post-fight interview, Smith admitted that he was wrong about believing he could suppress his emotions in order to make the walk, telling Rogan that it will probably mark the last bout of his 58-fight career — though he will take some time before making the final decision.

Fans reacted to Smith’s emotional loss and interview via social media.

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