Tag: Anthony Smith

Aleksandar Raki? Tells Anthony Smith To “Shut The F*** Up”

UFC light heavyweight Aleksandar Raki? has a pretty stern message for fellow contender and former opponent Anthony Smith.

Raki?, who currently sits at #3 in the 205-pound rankings, defeated Smith in a UFC Fight Night main event last August. After f…

Anthony Smith, Aleksandar Raki?

UFC light heavyweight Aleksandar Raki? has a pretty stern message for fellow contender and former opponent Anthony Smith.

Raki?, who currently sits at #3 in the 205-pound rankings, defeated Smith in a UFC Fight Night main event last August. After following that win with a victory over Thiago Santos at UFC 259 earlier this year, “Rocket” firmly entered the title conversation.

The Austrian will look to secure his first championship opportunity and extend his promotional record to 7-1, the only blemish of which was a controversial split decision to Volkan Oezdemir when he returns to action in 2022. It was recently confirmed that Raki? will face former champion Jan Blachowicz in the headlining clash of the UFC’s March 26 card.

Following the announcement, Raki? spoke to MMA News’ James Lynch to discuss his upcoming fight with the Polish behemoth, his rivalry with Czech knockout artist Ji?í Procházka, his experience training with Khamzat Chimaev, and his feud with former opponent Smith.

Since falling to Raki? last year, Smith has been back to his best, collecting submission victories over Devin Clark and Ryan Spann, and a TKO over Jimmy Crute. Following his triumph over “Superman” Spann in a September main event, “Lionheart” made it clear he wanted to run it back with Raki?.

After the European star accepted the challenge in minutes, it appeared the pair could be set for a second Octagon meeting this month. Given his already-longer-than-desired layoff, it was no surprise to see “Rocket” eager to fit a second fight into 2021. But Raki?’s wish to be booked opposite Smith in the December 18 main event wasn’t granted.

The matchup collapsed after a knee injury ruled Smith out for the rest of the year. Despite that, “Lionheart” hasn’t shied away from giving his two cents on the current light heavyweight landscape. From expressing his worry over getting “left in the cold” at 205 pounds to suggesting it “would suck” to see Raki? given the Blachowicz fight, the former title challenger isn’t letting his time on the sidelines be a quiet period.

That’s seemingly infuriating for Raki?, who appears to be sick of hearing the sound of his light heavyweight peer’s voice. The Austrian addressed Smith’s comments in his interview with MMA News, and in much harsher terms, asked him to zip it.

“I mean, he was challenging me after his last fight. I immediately said yes for December, and this guy couldn’t make it. He’s injured, you know, and he’s now talking behind screens and behind the phones, and talking and talking, and saying, ‘This (is) hurting my feelings, that I can see that Raki? is gonna fight Blachowicz.’ I don’t care about him and his feelings.

“Why weren’t you ready? Shut the fuck up, get healthy, win another fight, and then we’re gonna talk. That’s it. I have nothing to say about him… I respect this guy. I think he won three after our fight. I respect him as a martial artist. But he is talking too much and I don’t like that,” Raki? told MMA News.

UFC Fight Night: Raki? vs. Blachowicz

Raki? will look to put Smith to the back of his mind in the coming weeks as he prepares for perhaps the most important fight of his career. In his second UFC main event, the 29-year-old will be looking to stake his claim for a shot at gold, which is currently held by veteran Glover Teixeira.

But in his way will be a tough man with a point to prove. Blachowicz held the light heavyweight title for over a year until dropping it to Teixeira in the UFC 267 main event a couple of months ago. Prior to his upset defeat to the Brazilian, the Pole defended the strap by handing middleweight king Israel Adesanya his first setback in professional MMA.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CXWW0DMpUsz/

While Blachowicz will be looking to rebound and make his way back towards the belt, possibly for redemption against Teixeira should he defend the gold against Procházka, Raki? will aim to scale the 205-pound mountain for the first time in 2022, a journey that must go through Blachowicz on March 26.

Who do you think will emerge victorious in the March 26 main event, Aleksandar Raki? or Jan Blachowicz?

Continue Reading Aleksandar Raki? Tells Anthony Smith To “Shut The F*** Up” at MMA News.

Anthony Smith Afraid Of Being ‘Left Out In The Cold’ In LW Division

Anthony Smith has a few issues with the status of the light heavyweight division.

There is a new champion at the top of the UFC light heavyweight division and that has shaken up the top five. With Glover Teixeira now holding the belt that frees up…

Anthony Smith Aleksander Rakic Jan Blachowicz

Anthony Smith has a few issues with the status of the light heavyweight division.

There is a new champion at the top of the UFC light heavyweight division and that has shaken up the top five. With Glover Teixeira now holding the belt that frees up former champ Jan Blachowicz. There are a few possibilities for Blachowicz but he has mentioned wanting contender Aleksander Rakic next. With Jiri Prochazka most likely next for the champ, this might leave Anthony Smith on the outside looking in.

Smith was a guest on The Fighter vs. The Writer podcast to talk about his concerns.

“I’m afraid because I’m indifferent [about who I fight next], I’m going to get left out in the cold,” Smith said. “It would be a real sh*tty deal if Jiri Prochazka gets the title shot and then Rakic and Blachowicz fight each other and that kind of leaves me sitting out with my hands out.”

Smith’s last time out in the UFC ended in a victory over Ryan Spann back in September. Smith has won his last three outings and is currently ranked fourth behind Blachowicz, Rakic, and Prochazka. The last time Smith lost was against Rakic, and that is one fight he would like to get back.

“Listen, I’ve got a lot of respect for Aleksandar Rakic and what he’s done and I have a lot of respect for his skills and abilities, but he’s not that well-liked,” Smith explained. “He’s not the UFC’s favorite guy. Beating him is kind of its own reward, personally. Because I’m not sure how highly people, the powers-that-be, would look upon that win. Because he’s not super exciting for as big as an athlete as he is, and impressive as his physique is, he doesn’t fight like that. So he doesn’t have a fan appealing style.”

Smith is getting call-outs as well, but maybe not the ones he wants. He is a former title challenger and with one more big win could be right back in line to challenge for the belt again.

Who do you think Anthony Smith should face in his next UFC bout?

Continue Reading Anthony Smith Afraid Of Being ‘Left Out In The Cold’ In LW Division at MMA News.

Anthony Smith Explains Why Rakic Doesn’t Deserve To Fight Blachowicz

Anthony SmithAnthony Smith and Aleksandar Rakic were poised to meet in a potential rematch in December, after Smith made the callout following his impressive first-round submission win over Ryan Spann. However, ‘Lionheart’ suffered a knee injury and a staph infection which is going to keep him on the side-lines until early 2022. Just recently it came […]

Anthony Smith

Anthony Smith and Aleksandar Rakic were poised to meet in a potential rematch in December, after Smith made the callout following his impressive first-round submission win over Ryan Spann.

However, ‘Lionheart’ suffered a knee injury and a staph infection which is going to keep him on the side-lines until early 2022.

Just recently it came to news the UFC is potentially looking to book a bout between former champion Jan Blachowicz and Aleksandar Rakic, leaving Smith to just stand by a watch, something that didn’t sit well with him.

“I’m afraid because I’m indifferent (about who I fight next), I’m going to get left out in the cold,” Smith said during an appearance on The Fighter vs. The Writer. “It would be a real sh*tty deal if Jiri Prochazka gets the title shot and then Rakic and Blachowicz fight each other and that kind of leaves me sitting out with my hands out.”

Smith has been trying to rematch with the Austrian ever since he was beaten by him back in August of 2020. Anthony Smith also doesn’t think it is fair for Rakic to be in the position he is when he is turning down fights.

“I know for a fact he’s turned down several fights since his last fight with Thiago Santos, it would be super unfortunate if Rakic gets to sit around and turn down the fights he doesn’t like and gets the biggest fight available in the division.

“That would hurt my feelings, to be honest with you, especially being a guy that takes every single fight offered and the ones that nobody wants.

“Nobody wants to fight Ryan Spann. It’s a tough out. He’s just tough. Whether you think you’re better than him in every aspect of the game, he has that equalizer right hand that just changes the whole trajectory of the fight.

“Jimmy Crute is not a fun fight. There’s nothing fun about that dude. There’s nothing fun preparing for that dude, and I mean that with the utmost respect because of how tough he is.

“No one wants to fight Devin Clark, cause it’s just a tough fight for no reason. You don’t get a lot out of it, and it’s a tough ass dude.”

Anthony Smith wants to take on the former champ Blachowicz

Smith himself is currently riding an impressive three-fight winning streak with all those wins coming via stoppage. Although he would love to run it back with Rakic and get that win over him, he sees more value in facing off against the former champ Jan Blachowicz.

“Listen, I’ve got a lot of respect for Aleksandar Rakic and what he’s done, and I have a lot of respect for his skills and abilities, but he’s not that well-liked.

“He’s not the UFC’s favourite guy. Beating him is kind of its own reward, personally. Because I’m not sure how highly people, the powers-that-be, would look upon that win.

“He’s not super exciting for as big as an athlete as he is, and impressive as his physique is, he doesn’t fight like that. So, he doesn’t have a fan appealing style.

“The people in his home country love the hell out of the guy, but everyone else can kind of take him or leave him. The win over Blachowicz looks better. The Rakic one makes me feel better.” (Transcribed by MMAFighting.com)

Only time will tell for Anthony Smith on how the future of the light heavyweight division plays out, but despite this bump in the road for the American, whoever he does face on his return is in for one hell of a fight.

Who would you like to see Anthony Smith take on when he returns from injury?

Anthony Smith Responds To Conor McGregor Trolling: ‘He’ll Never Be One Of Us Again’

Anthony Smith Conor McGregorAnthony Smith speculated as to why Conor McGregor decided to troll him recently. During UFC Vegas 42 last week, McGregor posted a now-deleted video of himself watching the broadcast and particularly laughing at and mocking Smith and Belal Muhammad who were serving as analysts. “Lionheart” fired back earlier this week and believes he knows why […]

Anthony Smith Conor McGregor

Anthony Smith speculated as to why Conor McGregor decided to troll him recently.

During UFC Vegas 42 last week, McGregor posted a now-deleted video of himself watching the broadcast and particularly laughing at and mocking Smith and Belal Muhammad who were serving as analysts.

“Lionheart” fired back earlier this week and believes he knows why McGregor has continued to mock other fighters over the years on social media.

“This is the second time Conor has come at me,” Smith said on his SiriuxXM show (via Middle Easy). “And this one’s not even my fault and I don’t give a sh*t what Conor thinks of me but I don’t know why he’s taken aim at me twice. But as I thought about it, I think I figured it out — Conor has been uber, uber successful. He’s made more money than he can ever spend…He’s made true, like, generational wealth. His kids’ kids’ kids’ kids are going to be just fine because of the things that Conor’s accomplished.

“What Conor can never get back is he’ll never be one of us again. And it drives him absolutely crazy. He used to be one of us. I found myself sitting at the desk wondering like does Conor miss what it felt like to be in the gym and just be one of the guys? Because he’s alienated himself from everybody.

“I’ve been around him a little bit. I don’t know him but I’ve been around him and he was one of the guys. And he kinda sold out and he starts taking shots at people and he kinda sold his soul for all that money. And that’s fine if that’s what you want to do. But I think sometimes, it’s less about him trying to get a headline…I think it eats him alive that he’s never going to be one of the guys again. He’ll never fit in in our group. He’s not one of our peers anymore. It’s not because we kicked him out and didn’t want him, it’s the total opposite.”

Anthony Smith: McGregor ‘Sh*t’ On Every One Of Us

Whether that’s true or not remains to be seen. However, if McGregor does want back in, the chances are next to impossible according to Smith.

“We wanted Conor [McGregor] to be one of us. He alienated all of us and now he wants back in and we’re not gonna let him in because he sh*t on every one of us…” Smith added. “He wants the whole world to think he’s the cool guy and we’re not when in all reality, in our private situations and in our small world, he’s the outsider.

“He’s the one no one’s letting back in.”

Muhammad hasn’t forgot either as he took the chance to mock the Irishman after UFC Vegas 43 last night.

Do you think Anthony Smith is spot on regarding Conor McGregor?

Smith: “Alienated” McGregor Is Desperate To Be “One Of The Guys” Again

UFC light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith has responded to Conor McGregor after the Irishman mocked his and Belal Muhammad’s analysis at UFC Vegas 42 last weekend.

McGregor’s antics and arguments with fellow fighters on social media is nothing …

Anthony Smith, Conor McGregor

UFC light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith has responded to Conor McGregor after the Irishman mocked his and Belal Muhammad’s analysis at UFC Vegas 42 last weekend.

McGregor’s antics and arguments with fellow fighters on social media is nothing new. But while he’s been tweeting and deleting insults for years, the former two-division UFC champion’s tendency to do so has certainly increased over the past year, particularly since a broken leg at UFC 264 left him on the sidelines and out of action.

Having taken aim at the likes of Khabib Nurmagomedov, Dustin Poirier, Tony Ferguson, Michael Bisping, and Chael Sonnen, McGregor’s attention was on Smith and Muhammad during last Saturday’s UFC Fight Night broadcast. The pair were performing punditry duties on the desk ahead of a blockbuster main event between Max Holloway and Yair Rodriguez.

In a video posted to Twitter, and unsurprisingly deleted shortly after, McGregor can be heard laughing hysterically whilst watching Smith and Muhammad’s analysis. Among other things, the Dubliner says, “get this off my tele, now!”

Smith Fires Back At “The Notorious” Superstar

The clip came after “Remember The Name” referred to Holloway as the first man to defeat José Aldo in the UFC, an accolade which, of course, belongs to McGregor, who knocked the Brazilian out a year-and-a-half prior to Holloway’s TKO victory over “Junior.”

Whilst Muhammad immediately responded on Twitter, poking fun at McGregor’s losses to Poirier this year, Smith responded for the first time on Tuesday. Speaking during an MMA on SiriusXM podcast, “Lionheart” revealed what he believes to be the reason behind McGregor’s constant attacks on his fellow fighters.

“This is the second time that Conor’s come at me. This wasn’t even my fault, and I don’t give a shit what Conor thinks about me, but I don’t know why he’s taken aim at me twice. But as I though about it, I think I figured it out. Conor’s been uber, uber successful. He’s made more money than he could ever spend. He’s made, like, true generational wealth. His kid’s kid’s kid’s kid’s are gonna be just fine because of the things that Conor’s accomplished. What Conor can never get back, is he’ll never me one of us again, and it drives him absolutely crazy. He used to be; he used to be one of us.

“I found myself sitting at the desk, wondering, like, does Conor miss what it felt like to be in the gym and just be one of the guys? Because he’s alienated himself from everybody. I’ve been around him a little bit, I don’t know him. But I’ve been around him and he was one of the guys. Then he kind of sold out and he starts taking shots at people, and he kinda sold his soul for all that money. That’s fine if that’s what you want to do.”

As Smith mentioned, last weekend wasn’t the first time he’s been on the receiving end of McGregor’s wrath. A few months back, the Irishman branded the former light heavyweight title challenger a “big zombie” for suggesting his antics had gone too far.

Smith further added that the fact McGregor will never be “one of the guys” again “eats him alive.” Having taken aim at so many fighters on the UFC roster, “Lionheart” assured the former lightweight and featherweight king that he’ll never be allowed back into their circle, and will forever be an outsider.

“I think sometimes, it’s less about him trying to get a headline, it’s less about him wanting to take shots at people and be that guy. I think that it eats him alive that he’s never gonna be one of the guys again. He’ll never fit in in our group. He’s not one of our peers anymore. It’s not because we kicked him out and didn’t want him, it’s the total opposite. We wanted Conor to be one of us. He alienated all of us and now he wants back in. We’re not gonna let him in because he shit on every single one of us. It’s the comments he makes. That’s just his opportunity… he wants the whole world to think that he’s the cool guy and we’re not, when in all reality, in our like, private situation and our small world, he’s the outsider that no one’s letting back in.”

Do you agree with Anthony Smith? Has Conor McGregor alienated himself through his actions and his attitude towards other fighters?

Continue Reading Smith: “Alienated” McGregor Is Desperate To Be “One Of The Guys” Again at MMA News.

Video| Conor McGregor Mocks Belal Muhammad & Anthony Smith: ‘Get This Of My Telly’

Conor McGregorConor McGregor’s Twitter shenanigans continue as he takes aim at Belal Muhammad and Anthony Smith while they were on the UFC analyst booth. McGregor took a video of the two fighters breaking down some of the fights for UFC Vegas 42. ‘The Notorious’ posted the video on Twitter, but it has been deleted since. McGregor […]

Conor McGregor

Conor McGregor’s Twitter shenanigans continue as he takes aim at Belal Muhammad and Anthony Smith while they were on the UFC analyst booth.

McGregor took a video of the two fighters breaking down some of the fights for UFC Vegas 42. ‘The Notorious’ posted the video on Twitter, but it has been deleted since. McGregor opens up the video with a cackling laugh before zooming in on Muhammad and screaming “What the f*ck is this?! Get this of my telly!”

To the naked eye, ‘Lionheart’s tie does look very funny and almost comically small. Upon closer look it is a regular tie, just tucked in his shirt.

It seems as if Muhammad didn’t take too kindly to Conor McGregor mocking the two analyst/fighters.

After the event, Muhammad was asked who he thinks Max Holloway should face next. Muhammad answered by saying he wanted to see Holloway fight McGregor and beat him. He also said he believed that Holloway would beat McGregor pretty easily and show why he is the better boxer.

McGregor was vocal for the entirety of UFC Vegas 42. He was very excited to see Holloway fight tonight as he posted on Twitter about it a few times. Those tweets have also been deleted, but thanks to screenshots we still have them.

McGregor was all over the place again today and has opened the door possibly for a fight against Holloway in the near future. After Holloway’s win over Yair Rodriguez tonight, he reiterated the fact that he is on the short list for a fight against McGregor.

The two met early in their career and resulted in ‘The Notorious’ taking home a unanimous decision win in 2013. Only time will tell what McGregor will do, as he has a lot of possibilities on his plate.

What do you make of McGregor’s antics during UFC Vegas 42.