Tag: Anthony Smith

Anthony Smith Offered Jan Blachowicz Shortly After UFC 267

Anthony Smith Jan BlachowiczIt’s been just hours since Jan Blachowicz lost the UFC light heavyweight title to Glover Teixeira at UFC 267, and it appears he already may have a willing opponent in Anthony Smith. Smith was originally slated to face Aleksandar Rakic on Dec. 18 in a light heavyweight rematch but recently withdrew from the fight due […]

Anthony Smith Jan Blachowicz

It’s been just hours since Jan Blachowicz lost the UFC light heavyweight title to Glover Teixeira at UFC 267, and it appears he already may have a willing opponent in Anthony Smith.

Smith was originally slated to face Aleksandar Rakic on Dec. 18 in a light heavyweight rematch but recently withdrew from the fight due to a staph infection. But now, Smith alleges that the UFC has offered him to return against Blachowicz at a later date, though it’s unclear whether or not the offer was officially accepted.

Blachowicz, shortly after losing the belt to Teixeira, discussed an initial targeted return in March. According to Smith, this would work perfectly for his path to the title and is a matchup he’s eager to take on.

Anthony Smith Says He’s Been Offered A Jan Blachowicz Fight After UFC 267

“I’m kind of liking this Jan Blachowicz fight,” Smith said during a recent appearance on The MMA Hour. They brought it to me that night. He wants to fight again, he wants to fight soon. I’m not crazy injured, I’m just dealing with little stuff and an infection. As long as we can get the infection cleared, I don’t think February is out of the question.”

“I love that fight, and I like that guy,” Smith continued. “I want the Rakic fight, I want that back but I don’t think he wants to wait so if he wants to go in and fight someone else that is fine. I like the Jan Blachowicz fight.”

A Smith vs. Blachowicz fight could make a lot of sense for the title picture in the light heavyweight division as well. Teixeira is widely expected to make his first title defense against Jiri Prochazka, who was the alternate for UFC 267. Smith and Blachowicz are both looking to earn another shot at UFC gold.

Do you think Anthony Smith vs. Jan Blachowicz is the fight to make?

Smith Names The One Factor That Will Determine Blachowicz vs. Teixeira

Former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Anthony Smith has made his prediction for Jan Blachowicz vs. Glover Teixeira, and claims there’s one factor that will determine who emerges victorious.

At UFC 267, Blachowicz is set to defend his title …

Anthony Smith, Jan Blachowicz, Glover Teixeira

Former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Anthony Smith has made his prediction for Jan Blachowicz vs. Glover Teixeira, and claims there’s one factor that will determine who emerges victorious.

At UFC 267, Blachowicz is set to defend his title against a member of the 205-pound roster for the first time. After winning the vacant title with a second-round TKO against Dominick Reyes at UFC 253, the Polish star made his first defense just over five months later.

The 38-year-old welcomed middleweight king Israel Adesanya to light heavyweight at UFC 259. While many had expected “The Last Stylebender” to become the latest two-division UFC titleholder, Blachowicz wasn’t about to let that happen. He defeated Adesanya via unanimous decision after a fairly comfortable five rounds of action.

Having fought off the challenge from below, Blachowicz will now look to do the same against the top contender in his own division. On October 30, he’ll hope to stop the late-career charge of Brazilian veteran Glover Teixeira. Despite the 41-year-old’s recent form, the champ has politely suggested he’ll KO him into retirement.

Ahead of the unique non-pay-per-view numbered event, #4-ranked light heavyweight Anthony Smith has given his take on his division’s upcoming title clash. Speaking to MMA reporter James Lynch, “Lionheart” admitted that he’d like to see Teixeira’s story conclude with a championship crowning.

“Part of me hopes Glover, just for the story. It would be cool for both of those guys at some point in time to retire as world champions, or having won a world title.”

Smith later revealed what he believes to be the one crucial factor that will determine the victor on October 30. If Teixeira can’t take Blachowicz down, the 33-year-old doesn’t believe he can leave Abu Dhabi with the light heavyweight gold.

“If Glover can stay safe and not get caught with anything clean, I think Glover is the more well-rounded guy. Jan’s gonna be really hard to take down though. If Glover can’t take him down I don’t think he can beat him. He’s just, from range, Glover’s not as fast as he used to be, his reactions aren’t as good as they used to be, which takes away a lot of his counter striking.

“If Glover can’t drag him down and get him tired and slow him down a little bit, he’s gonna have a really tough time.”

Speaking about the champ, Smith suggested the Pole doesn’t possess many holes in his game that Teixeira will be able to exploit. Despite rooting for the Brazilian, “Lionheart” predicted that Blachowicz will retain come October 30.

“There’s not a whole lot of weaknesses in his [Blachowicz’s] game though. He doesn’t do a lot, which I don’t mean as a knock. He’s never out of position, there’s nothing fancy, it’s straight one-twos down the pipe; a random uppercut here and there. For the most part he doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. I’m really excited for that fight… I’ll give you a prediction. I hope Glover Teixeira wins, but if I had to die on that hill, I would bet Jan Blachowicz.”

Who do you think will have their hand raised at UFC 267, Jan Blachowicz or Glover Teixeira?

Continue Reading Smith Names The One Factor That Will Determine Blachowicz vs. Teixeira at MMA News.

Anthony Smith Not Shocked By Jones Arrest: “It’s Sad At This Point”

Anthony Smith wasn’t surprised by the recent arrest of his former Octagon dance partner, Jon Jones. Since their light heavyweight title bout in 2019, the duo have famously taken turns slinging mud at one another. Last year, after Jones denigrated Smith’s attempt to resist a home invasion, “Lion Heart” labeled his former rival a “f**king […]

Continue Reading Anthony Smith Not Shocked By Jones Arrest: “It’s Sad At This Point” at MMA News.

Anthony Smith wasn’t surprised by the recent arrest of his former Octagon dance partner, Jon Jones.

Since their light heavyweight title bout in 2019, the duo have famously taken turns slinging mud at one another. Last year, after Jones denigrated Smith’s attempt to resist a home invasion, “Lion Heart” labeled his former rival a “f**king douchebag.” A few months later, Jones would return the favor by mocking Smith’s championship mettle following his loss to Glover Teixeira.

And tensions flared once again earlier this year when Smith boldly alleged that Jones “failed every drug test” in the week of their 2019 fight, despite months prior praising the former light heavyweight champ for vacating his title.

Anthony Smith Jon Jones
Jon Jones fights Anthony Smith in their light heavyweight title bout at UFC 235. (PHOTO: AP)

Anthony Smith Reacts To Jones Arrest, Expresses Pity

Clearly, Smith and Jones have had a fraught relationship. But after Jon’s recent arrest for battery domestic violence and injuring/tampering with a vehicle, Smith has taken the high road.

In an interview with R.J Clifford on the MMA On SiriusXM radio show, Anthony expressed his thoughts on Jones’ latest in a long line of personal issues, noting his own brushes with the law early in his career.

“For the longest time I’ve tiptoed around Jon Jones’ issues because I haven’t been perfect,” Smith said (h/t Sportskeeda). “I can’t talk about Jon being a f**k up, having made a lot of mistakes myself in the past. But clearly, I’ve done the things to right that s**t I did a long time ago. I’ve got a DUI twice, been in car accidents and arrested. When I was a young kid, I was wild. The difference is that I’ve learned from my mistakes and turned it around. I think Dana (White) said it perfectly: ‘It wasn’t shocking.’ I wasn’t shocked when someone sent me a tweet. It’s sad at this point.”

Smith joins a chorus of other notable UFC personalities to weigh in on Jones’ recent controversy. UFC president Dana White flatly declared that Jones “has a lot of demons.” Former rival Daniel Cormier echoed Smith’s sentiment that “Jones obviously doesn’t learn from the mistakes.” While Chael Sonnen believes that Jon will only reform once he’s appropriately punished by having his UFC contract torn up.

Long-time agitator Israel Adesanya was predictably far less measured in his criticisms, boldly speculating that Jones’ recent instance of domestic violence wasn’t “the first time this has happened in his house.”

What do you think of Anthony Smith’s take on Jones’ recent arrest?

Continue Reading Anthony Smith Not Shocked By Jones Arrest: “It’s Sad At This Point” at MMA News.

Anthony Smith Laughs Off Ion Cutelaba’s Callout

Anthony Smith is not impressed with Ion Cutelaba’s callout.  UFC Vegas 37’s main event saw Anthony Smith outclass Ryan Spann en route to a first-round finish. Smith wasn’t the only light heavyweight to pick up a big win on the card; Ion Cutelaba also earned a victory against Devin Clark in the co-main event. Cutelaba […]

Continue Reading Anthony Smith Laughs Off Ion Cutelaba’s Callout at MMA News.

Anthony Smith is not impressed with Ion Cutelaba’s callout. 

UFC Vegas 37’s main event saw Anthony Smith outclass Ryan Spann en route to a first-round finish. Smith wasn’t the only light heavyweight to pick up a big win on the card; Ion Cutelaba also earned a victory against Devin Clark in the co-main event.

Cutelaba called out Smith after his win, but it doesn’t seem “Lionheart” is going to be granting the Moldovan fighter’s wish any time soon. At the post-fight press conference, Smith seemed surprised that Cutelaba had the audacity to challenge him.  

“No, he didn’t,” Smith chuckled in disbelief. “No, that ain’t it” (laughs again).

Of course, fighters have to shoot their shots, but Smith doesn’t believe “The Hulk” is on his level. Cutelaba had a solid performance that went all fifteen minutes, while Smith finished the same opponent in the first round last year. 

“I like watching Ion fight. I think his style’s super-exciting. But no, I’m good. I mean, did you watch the fight he was just in? You see what I did to that guy? OK. Just making sure.”

A fight that is on Smith’s mind is a rematch with Alexsander Rakic. The pair met in August of last year and Rakic dominated the bout. Smith now wants a chance at revenge and a chance to get that #3 spot back. 

“That’s what I want. That’s what I asked for. That’s the fight that I want. It’s the one I’ve been talking about. It’s nothing personal. Me and Rakic have nothing but positive exchanges with each other before and after the fight. It’s purely competitive. I want his spot. He took mine; I want to take it back.”

At the end of the day, a bout with Cutelaba doesn’t make sense to Smith. Smith is currently ranked sixth in the UFC’s official rankings while Cutelaba is not listed in the top fifteen. 

“I tell you what I’m not gonna do. I’m not gonna fight someone ranked below me. I’ve done that three times in a row now. I think I’ve paid my dues. I think I made up for whatever I had to make up for those two losses. It would be mind-blowing if they wanted me to fight someone below me again. So I’ll wait for whatever makes sense. If it’s Rakic, great…it’s gotta be a fight that’ll get me to a title fight.”

Jan Blachowicz sits atop the lightweight division right now and will defend his title against Glover Teixeira in October. Ji?í Procházka is the likely contender to the winner of that bout should he choose to wait for the victor. With the next two title fights possibly booked, this gives the rest of the division some time to sort itself out over the upcoming months. 

Continue Reading Anthony Smith Laughs Off Ion Cutelaba’s Callout at MMA News.

Anthony Smith To Critics: “What The F**k Do You Want Me To Do?”

UFC light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith has responded to his critics by asking who he has to beat in order to get the respect he deserves. Smith was in action this past weekend at UFC Vegas 37. In the main event, “Lionheart” faced #11-ranked Ryan Spann. In less than four minutes, the former title challenger […]

Continue Reading Anthony Smith To Critics: “What The F**k Do You Want Me To Do?” at MMA News.

UFC light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith has responded to his critics by asking who he has to beat in order to get the respect he deserves.

Smith was in action this past weekend at UFC Vegas 37. In the main event, “Lionheart” faced #11-ranked Ryan Spann. In less than four minutes, the former title challenger had his hand raised for the third consecutive fight. After continuing to show the improvements he’s made on the feet, Smith submitted Spann with a rear-naked choke after rocking him with punches.

With quick wins over Devin Clark and Jimmy Crute over the past year, Smith hasn’t seen a second round since his loss to Aleksander Raki? last August. Having endured a one-sided beatdown at the hands of Glover Teixeira before that, many wrote off his title aspirations. But Smith’s current win streak makes it clear that he’s back to his best and mounting a second run for light heavyweight gold.

Despite three stoppage wins in a row, many have still doubted “Lionheart” and criticized the opposition he’s been facing. Smith’s post-fight reaction on Saturday showed the frustration he has at what he perceives to be disrespect towards his record and recent performances.

While he may have let his emotions get the best of him at UFC Vegas 37, Smith has now claimed he’s finished worrying about what his critics say. During this past weekend’s post-fight press conference, the 33-year-old suggested there’s nothing he could do inside the Octagon that would grant him the respect he deserves from some members of the MMA community.

“Who do I gotta beat? Like, what do I gotta do? That’s an honest question, you guys. Who do I gotta beat? I beat the old guys, and people said they were too old. Now, I’m beating the young guys, and they’re not ranked high. What the fuck do you want me to do? At this point, I don’t give a fuck anymore. I’m doing what I can do. I’m fighting the guys in front of me. I’m fuckin’ over it. I’m done worrying about it.”

After his latest victory, Smith made his future plans clear. He wants to run it back with Raki?, who is currently ranked #3 in the division. The pair previously met in the UFC Vegas 8 main event. After three rounds, the Austrian was awarded a comfortable unanimous decision win.

With Teixeira set to fight for the belt at UFC 267, and Ji?í Procházka likely waiting in the wings for the victor following his devastating knockout against Dominick Reyes, “Rocket” will seemingly need to record another win before booking his place opposite the champ. Having made his availability for a December matchup clear during Smith’s Octagon interview, it seems likely we’ll see Raki? and “Lionheart” clash for the second time.

Do you think Anthony Smith deserves more respect for his recent performances?

Continue Reading Anthony Smith To Critics: “What The F**k Do You Want Me To Do?” at MMA News.

Aleksandar Raki? Details Conditions For Anthony Smith Rematch

Aleksandar Raki? is eager to step back into the Octagon, and the #3-ranked light heavyweight has offered up a date for the Anthony Smith rematch. The last man to defeat Smith was Raki?, and since that night, “Lionheart” has tapped into his primal desire to throw leather. The American emboldened his name within the 205-pound […]

Continue Reading Aleksandar Raki? Details Conditions For Anthony Smith Rematch at MMA News.

Aleksandar Raki? is eager to step back into the Octagon, and the #3-ranked light heavyweight has offered up a date for the Anthony Smith rematch.

The last man to defeat Smith was Raki?, and since that night, “Lionheart” has tapped into his primal desire to throw leather. The American emboldened his name within the 205-pound weight class following his last three first-round finishing performances. After Smith’s most recent submission of Ryan Spann, the 33-year old called out his former nemesis Raki? for a December throwdown. Shortly after, the Austrian native responded on social media in favor of the potential rematch.

With just over one year removed from their first encounter, Aleksandar Raki? spoke on The MMA Hour and nailed down an exact date as to when he would like to test himself against Smith. The light heavyweight also emphasized that his second fight with Smith will need to be featured as the main event.

“He had an amazing win on Saturday, he (has) a three-fight winning streak after our fight. But Mr. Smith, be careful what (you) wish for. Aleksandar Raki? said. If the UFC wants a rematch, it has to be a main event, December 18th, and after this I’m going to get my title shot.”

Raki? last stepped in the Octagon in March against Thiago Santos. Many were itching to see how the 29-year old would stack up against “Marreta”. Raki? won the fight by decision and utilized his suffocating clinch tactics against the fence. The light heavyweight kept Santos at bay with leg kicks to advance his strategy too. Raki? did not score the finish, though he walked away victorious.

Raki?’s tear through the 205-pound weight class has been quiet compared to Smith’s last three victories. Normally, a rematch so soon doesn’t align, but the two remain enthusiastic to face each other. With a December date all but locked up, we may get that early Christmas present after all.

Do you favor Aleksandar Raki? against Anthony Smith in a potential rematch?

Continue Reading Aleksandar Raki? Details Conditions For Anthony Smith Rematch at MMA News.