Anthony Smith | UFC Betting Sites - The Best MMA Online Bookies

Anthony Smith Shares Who He Feels Could Dethrone Israel Adesyana

Former UFC light-heavyweight champion, Anthony Smith shares who he feels would have the best chance to defeat Israel Adesyana at middleweight. Following UFC 271 and his second victory over Robert Whittaker, middleweight champion, Adeesyana has now beaten four of the top five, two of which he has beaten twice and there seems to be no […]

Former UFC light-heavyweight champion, Anthony Smith shares who he feels would have the best chance to defeat Israel Adesyana at middleweight.

Following UFC 271 and his second victory over Robert Whittaker, middleweight champion, Adeesyana has now beaten four of the top five, two of which he has beaten twice and there seems to be no slowing down.

Before his rematch with Whittaker, the consensus was that since their first fight, ‘The Reaper’ had made improvements and that the level between those two and the rest of the division was significant. Although the bout was closer and some felt Whittaker was hard done by, Adesyana retained, making it four-for-four on title defences.

Adesyana looks to be facing Jared Cannoioner, potentially in due but the opening betting odds had ‘Style Bender’ as high as a -300 favorite.

Anthony Smith Shares His Thoughts

Smith, who is an analyst and fighter, feels there is one man who poses the most threat to Adesayna, Alex Pereira.

“I think the guy that’s probably got the best chance, and this is gonna be a crazy statement, he’s in the UFC but he’s not ranked.” Smith said on the latest episode of DC&RC, “I think it’s Alex Pereira. This kid is good. The problem with Alex is he’s gonna have a tough time getting to Israel. There’s a lot of high level wrestlers, some good jiu-jitsu guys, I think his hardest path is to get to him. I’m not putting a whole lot of weight into him already knocking Israel out in another organisation and in another sport.

“He’s a guy who can fight Israel at his exact same game. He plays the same game, fights very similar, he’s very comfortable. He’ll keep the fight slow but explode when he has to. He’s got the power and the kicking ability, which is really big when it comes to Israel Adesanya. That’s why Jan Blachowicz was so successful.” (Transcribed by BJPenn.com)

Pereira famously knocked out Adesayna in kickboxing before moving over to MMA where he is 4-1 overall and 1-0 in the UFC, he will make his UFC return against Bruno Silva on March 12.

Do you agree with Anthony Smith? Does Alex Pereira pose the biggest threat to Israel Adesyana?

Anthony Smith Heard Stories About Khamzat Chimaev ‘Ragdolling’ UFC Heavyweights Years Ago

Anthony Smith was hearing stories about Khamzat Chimaev years before the undefeated Swedish fighter joined the UFC roster. ‘The Wolf’ burst onto the scene in 2020 on ‘Fight Island’ and has quickly become one of the most exciting prospects in MMA. Chimaev has picked up four wins inside the Octagon and is averaging less than […]

Anthony Smith was hearing stories about Khamzat Chimaev years before the undefeated Swedish fighter joined the UFC roster.

‘The Wolf’ burst onto the scene in 2020 on ‘Fight Island’ and has quickly become one of the most exciting prospects in MMA.

Chimaev has picked up four wins inside the Octagon and is averaging less than one absorbed strike per fight.

‘The Wolf’ seems destined for big things in 2022 and is already being linked to a fight with Gilbert Burns.

During a recent appearance on Michael Bisping’s Believe You Me podcast, Smith revealed that he heard about Chimaev ragdolling UFC heavyweight Ilir Latifi and light-heavyweight title contender Alexander Gustafsson in the gym.

“Other people said it first, so now I can say it out loud. I’ve heard the stories of Chimaev for years, like a couple years before he was even in the UFC,” Smith said. “I remember hearing his name, some young kid that’s ragdolling Ilir Latifi and Gustafsson down in Sweden. Even when he finally made it to the UFC, beat a couple of guys and looked really good, I kept that to myself until other people had told the story like, ‘Hey man, I’ve been hearing the stories about this kid beating the s**t out of those guys for a long time.” (Transcribed by Sportskeeda)

Alexander Gustafsson Expects Khamzat Chimaev To KO Kamaru Usman

Despite being routinely beaten up by him in the gym Gustafsson holds no ill will towards his teammate.

‘The Mauler’ recently talked up Chimaev’s chances against UFC welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman.

“I think he’d [Khamzat Chimaev] put Kamaru Usman to sleep honestly,” Gustafsson told ESPN. “I think if he just touches his chin, it’s a big chance that Kamaru, Kamaru Usman goes to sleep. I like Kamaru Usman, he’s a great champ and he’s just been breaking records and like you know, it’s a pleasure to see him fight because he’s a very good technical, you know I love his jab and his wrestling and you can see that he’s on top, Kamaru Usman. But I just can’t see him take Khamzat’s punches.”

Do you think Khamzat Chimaev will become UFC champ in 2022?

Anthony Smith Advocates For ‘Genuine’ Jake Paul: ‘He Really Cares About Fighter Pay’

One-time UFC light heavyweight title challenger, Anthony Smith has backed a recent movement from professional boxer and YouTuber, Jake Paul to increase fighter pay in the organization – claiming that the Ohio native is sincere. Paul, 5-0 as a professional boxer, recently took another aim at promotional president, Dana White – claiming he would enrol […]

Paul, 5-0 as a professional boxer, recently took another aim at promotional president, Dana White – claiming he would enrol in anti-doping agency, USADA testing, as well as a sign a one-fight deal with the promotion to fight two-time title challenger, Jorge Masvidal, if White increased minimum fighter pay, as well as offer fighters health insurance.

Jake Paul improved to 5-0 in December with a stunning knockout victory over Tyron Woodley

The outspoken Ohio native also claimed he “embarrassed” the promoter’s promotion back in December when he handed former undisputed welterweight champion, Tyron Woodley a thunderous sixth round knockout in their short-notice professional boxing match rematch.

Yet to respond to Paul’s request, White once more echoed calls for the boxer to enrol in an anti-doping programe for a period of two years, before then claiming former UFC Chief Financial Officer, Nakisa Bidarian – Paul’s manager and advisor, was a “warlock” and a “scumbag“.

Providing his thoughts on Paul’s decision to rally and campaign for an increase in fighter pay, the aforenoted, Smith explained how he believes the YouTuber was sincere in his efforts to secure fighters a larger percentage of revenue from the organization.

“I think he’s (Jake Paul) honest,” Anthony Smith said on Fight Nation on Sirius XM. “I think he actually does care. Here’s the deal, we’ve had these movements where people talk about fighter pay and blah, blah, blah – it’s always people that it benefits, and I’m not meaning just fighters. In the history of the sport we’ve had people come from the outside and they want to seem like they’re some saviour and they’re gonna come in and they’re gonna save us and help us, but at the end of the day, every single one of those guys has had their own endgame.”

“Jake Paul has nothing to gain here, so I think do believe it, it does sound genuine, because it’s a pain in the ass,” Smith continued. “It’s hard to do and he’s still attacking it. He’s continually bringing it up for months and months and he’s not letting it go.”

Smith’s reasoning for believing Paul is genuine and sincere with his decision to attempt to help UFC fighters secure a pay increase, comes off the back of the Ohio puncher’s decision to take money from his own pocket to pay fighters on his August undercard a bonus.
“I think when you reach a certain level of success yourself – Jake Paul has more money than he’ll ever need,” Smith said. “He’s got more opportunity. He’s got his YouTube channel, he’s got this boxing thing, he can continue to just fight bums and make fat checks and leave everyone else alone and not ruffle any feathers and just do his own thing but I think he actually cares, and he’s shown that.”

“Even when he fought Tyron (Woodley) the first time and gave Tyron that little bump in pay,” Smith explained. “He took some of his (own) money and gave it back to the other fighters so those guys got paid. The easiest way to see if someone’s being true and honest is they are willing to put their money where their mouth is, and he’s already pulled money out of his own pocket and given it to other people. He’s done the same thing with Amanda Serrano.”

“He seems to be very genuine and I think he’s just taking it on because he’s good and you do see people, extremely wealthy people that do that. They don’t have a whole lot of problems in their life, they’ve got it all figured out, they’ve got the money, the opportunities, the riches, the fame, the cars, the watches. Like, what else does Jake Paul have to do other than take on some seemingly impossible task? And he’s getting a lot of media (attention) in the process.” (Transcribed by MMA Fighting)

Anthony Smith Believes Jake Paul Truly Cares About UFC Fighter Pay

Anthony Smith believes Jake Paul does care about fighter pay and wants to make a difference.

Ever since Paul has started to take boxing seriously and began boxing ex-UFC fighters he has brought up fighter pay and how Dana White doesn’t pay his figh…

Anthony Smith believes Jake Paul does care about fighter pay and wants to make a difference.

Ever since Paul has started to take boxing seriously and began boxing ex-UFC fighters he has brought up fighter pay and how Dana White doesn’t pay his fighters enough. Originally, many thought Paul was only doing that to help sell his fights and get in a rivalry with White. But for Smith, he believes Paul is being sincere.

Does Jake Paul really care about fighter pay? ? Anthony Smith thinks so….

Listen to what Smith (@lionheartasmith) had to say alongside @DinThomas

???????? pic.twitter.com/D3eWcwmOB0
— MMA on SiriusXM (@MMAonSiriusXM) January 4, 2022

“I think he’s being honest, I think he does care. Here’s the deal, we have had these movements where people talk about fighter pay, it is also people it benefits,” Smith said on his radio show on Sirius XM. “In the history of the sport we have had people come from the outside and they want to seem like they are some savior and they are going to come in and save us and help us. At the end of the day, every single one of those guys has had their own end game at the end of it. Jake Paul has nothing to gain here, so I do believe it and it does sound genuine because it is a pain in the ass and it’s hard to do and he’s still attacking it.

“He is continually bringing it up for months and months and months and he’s not letting it go… I think he actually cares and he has shown that,” Smith continued. “Even when he fought Tyron the first time he gave Tyron that little bump in pay, took some of his money, and gave it back to the other fighters so those guys got paid. The easiest way to see if someone is being true and honest is are they willing to put their money where their mouth is and he’s already pulled money out of his own pocket.”

At this point, it is hard to disagree with Anthony Smith that Jake Paul doesn’t care about fighter pay. After all, as Smith says, Paul has taken money out of his own pocket to help the cause. He has also been so vocal about it for months and even donated to Sarah Alpar so she could train full time.

Like it or not, Smith believes what Paul is doing will keep happening for quite some time and perhaps will eventually make a difference.

Do you think Jake Paul really cares about fighter pay?

Continue Reading Anthony Smith Believes Jake Paul Truly Cares About UFC Fighter Pay at MMA News.

Anthony Smith:”I Get Paid A Lot Of Money To Run My Mouth”

Anthony Smith doesn’t understand the backlash to his commentary on fights.

When Anthony Smith isn’t in the cage beating down top-tier fighters, the Texas native often finds himself working the UFC’s broadcast desk. Between fights, Smith break…

Anthony Smith doesn’t understand the backlash to his commentary on fights.

When Anthony Smith isn’t in the cage beating down top-tier fighters, the Texas native often finds himself working the UFC’s broadcast desk. Between fights, Smith breaks down and gives his predictions on the upcoming bouts. Typically, he’s joined by Michael Eaves, Chael Sonnen, and Rashad Evans, among others.

While the desk job may seem a little cushier than throwing blows in the cage, it comes with its own downsides. One of those is that he frequently upsets fans and fellow fighters with his words (h/t MMA Fighting).

“It’s so weird,” Smith said while appearing on The Fighter vs. The Writer. “I’ve seen comments and gotten tagged in stuff where people actually say ‘why is Anthony Smith just up there running his mouth all the time!’ It is the weirdest comment when people say that or I’ll hear things from other gyms where a guy is all pissed off and mad about what I said. He’s like ‘he’s always up there talking sh*t.’

“I don’t know if you guys know this — I get paid a lot of money to just run my mouth and give my opinion. That’s why I’m up there running my mouth all the time. That’s literally my job. I’m paid to answer the questions that people ask me. I don’t know what they expect. I’m not going to bullsh*t you and I’ve always told fighters if you guys have issues with something I say, I’m an open book. If you want to come talk about it, I’ll tell you why I said it and I’ll give you my analysis. Text me. I’ll tell you.”

In picking fights, Smith is always going to have to pick someone to lose. For fighters who pay attention to his analyses, it may ruffle some feathers. Others surely understand the job and let the predictions roll off their back.

People may berate Smith for his commentary, but it’s hard to downplay his fighting skills. The UFC has Smith ranked at #4in his division. He’s currently on a three-fight win streak, with each of those victories coming via stoppage. Most recently, “Lionheart” made quick work of Ryan Spann in their main event in September of last year.

Continue Reading Anthony Smith:”I Get Paid A Lot Of Money To Run My Mouth” at MMA News.

Anthony Smith Questions Allegations Made Against Chael Sonnen

UFC light heavyweight, Anthony Smith doesn’t buy the recent allegations made against Chael Sonnen.

Recently, Sonnen was hit with five battery citations after allegedly being a part of a hotel brawl in Las Vegas. TMZ Sports reported that Sonnen was …

UFC light heavyweight, Anthony Smith doesn’t buy the recent allegations made against Chael Sonnen.

Recently, Sonnen was hit with five battery citations after allegedly being a part of a hotel brawl in Las Vegas. TMZ Sports reported that Sonnen was detained but was ultimately not arrested because cops didn’t personally witness the alleged incident. Nevertheless, he still was given five misdemeanor battery citations, and the police are still investigating the incident.

Since the initial report, there haven’t been many details about Sonnen’s case aside from Brendan Schaub’s version of events, but for Anthony Smith, he doesn’t buy into the idea that Sonnen would suddenly beat up five people in a hotel. Generally speaking, he doesn’t think Sonnen would be that type of person. So until the entire facts come out, “Lionheart” admits it is hard to believe what was reported (h/t Sportskeeda).

“I do think that it would be really hard for me to believe like Chael Sonnen beat up five people. Listening to the Jon Jones situation, I have never commented on his personal struggles or whatever,” Smith said on Karyn Bryant’s YouTube channel. “But at this point, he has not earned or deserved the benefit of the doubt.

“I think at this point in Chael’s life, he’s earned the benefit of the doubt at least. It is just not his nature… I don’t know the full story but Chael is not that type of guy. You can’t even get the dude to look up from his phone half the time. He’s so chill and so calm and you can’t get him riled up easily.”

Because Sonnen was not arrested, as of right now, there does not appear to be anything major that could come down against the UFC legend. Therefore, as Smith says, it is hard to really form an evidence-based opinion, as there isn’t a ton of details on the case available at the moment.

Anthony Smith is currently ranked #4 in the UFC’s light heavyweight division. He most recently defeated Ryan Spann in September and is currently awaiting word on his next opponent.

Do you agree with Anthony Smith that the allegations against Chael Sonnen are hard to believe?

Continue Reading Anthony Smith Questions Allegations Made Against Chael Sonnen at MMA News.