Johnny Walker is set to face Thiago Santos in his first-ever UFC main event on October 2. The Brazilian KO artist is hoping that he’ll come through one of his toughest tests to date unscathed and be able to quickly turn around to compete before the year is done, preferably at UFC 269. Anthony Smith […]
Johnny Walker is set to face Thiago Santos in his first-ever UFC main event on October 2.
The Brazilian KO artist is hoping that he’ll come through one of his toughest tests to date unscathed and be able to quickly turn around to compete before the year is done, preferably at UFC 269.
Anthony Smith is set to square off against Ryan Spann at UFC Vegas 37 tonight (September 18). Walker expects ‘Lionheart’ to have his hands full with his former opponent for a round before eventually emerging victorious.
“Anthony Smith is not very explosive,” Walker told LowKickMMA. “He doesn’t knock people down straight away but he’s very technical and he’s a very good fighter – he’s in the top 10 for a long time. If he survives the first round, he’s going to beat Ryan Span in the second or the third. Ryan Spann is very strong, and he can knock people down in the first round, but I don’t think he’s going to survive too much with ‘Lionheart’, with his pressure because after the second, third rounds he just grow grow, grow in the fight, you know. If it finishes in the first, Ryan Spann. After the first round, Anthony Smith.
“If Anthony Smith beats Ryan Spann, maybe I can fight Anthony Smith,” Walker replied when asked who he’d like to face next with a win over Santos. “If he lost, maybe I’m going to challenge Jiri Prochazka, Rakic or whatever it will be in the top five because I need top five fights before the belt. So, maybe two or three more wins I’ll be ready.”
“I really wish that I fight (at) the end of December,” Walker said. “To finish this year with two wins and then next year the belt is gonna be on my list soon, you know.
“They can put me on the (UFC 269) preliminaries, or anyone spot on the card for the end of the year. I accept, I don’t really care,” Walker concluded.
Do you think we’ll get to see Johnny Walker vs. Anthony Smith in December?
Anthony Smith knows a rematch might be in his future if he can get past Ryan Spann at UFC Vegas 37. Anthony Smith is getting ready to headline his seventh UFC fight card. In this one, he is set to take on Ryan Spann and potentially get himself back in the mix for a title […]
Anthony Smith knows a rematch might be in his future if he can get past Ryan Spann at UFC Vegas 37.
Anthony Smith is getting ready to headline his seventh UFC fight card. In this one, he is set to take on Ryan Spann and potentially get himself back in the mix for a title shot. Smith knows the tough task he has ahead of him in Spann but can’t help to think what could be next. Smith thinks a rematch with the last man to hand him a loss could be the thing he needs.
“I think after this fight, if I go in and have a dominant performance, I don’t think I have to defend my position anymore and I can go back to climbing,” Smith told MMA Junkie. “That’s why the Rakic fight makes sense to me. I have to climb ahead of me. Thiago (Santos) already has a fight coming up; Jiri (Prochazka) has the title shot to fight the winner (of Jan Blachowicz vs. Glover Teixeira); Reyes is coming off three losses – I don’t think that makes sense for me. There’s really just Rakic there and that’s the guy that makes sense for me.”
Smith and Rakic are both on two-fight winning streaks. With his last win over Thiago Santos, Rakic has moved into the number three spot in the UFC light heavyweight rankings. Champion Jan Blachowicz already has his next fight lined up against Glover Teixeira, so Smith wants to line something up with the possible next contender, Rakic.
“I know he wants to wait for the title fight, but I don’t think that makes any sense,” Smith said. “He hasn’t had any barn-burning performances. He’s done enough to win, which is essentially what you have to do. But he’s not wowing anybody and the UFC is not begging him to fight for the title. He’s in a position where he’s going to fight again or get skipped. If I have to be the guy to push that, I would be happy to do that.”
Smith notably lost his first title shot opportunity when he was defeated by Jon Jones in 2019. Since then he has had a record of 3-2. Staying active and winning is the plan Smith has for himself. He is rooting for Teixeira in the title fight and hopes to be in the with him again soon.
Do you think a win over Aleksander Rakic could put Anthony Smith into title contention?
In Las Vegas, Nevada, inside the APEX, UFC Vegas 37 will pit Ryan “Superman” Spann against the scrappy and charismatic Anthony Smith. Smith will fight down in the rankings once again to remind the light heavyweight division that sometimes the best talking you do is with your hands. It’s safe to say that Smith is […]
In Las Vegas, Nevada, inside the APEX, UFC Vegas 37 will pit Ryan “Superman” Spann against the scrappy and charismatic Anthony Smith.
Smith will fight down in the rankings once again to remind the light heavyweight division that sometimes the best talking you do is with your hands. It’s safe to say that Smith is familiar with that phenomenon, as “Lionheart” is a 51-fight veteran with 18 knockouts of his thirty-five wins.
In his eventual move up to 205-pounds, there were some skeptics, but Smith was steadfast in his approach. It only took one violent night to convince the world that he was sticking around and he did it against the former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans.
In his 205 pound debut, the performance only lasted 53 seconds, as sharp knees up the middle pierced through the former champ. After catching fire, Smith bottled it and poured gasoline on himself until reaching the final boss in Jon “Bones” Jones. While he couldn’t steal gold from Jones, Smith is ready to carve a new path towards a light heavyweight title. The American believes his streak of violence continues with Ryan Spann this Saturday.
Looking to play spoiler to Smith’s second LHW title run, is the powerhouse known as “Superman.” Spann has legitimate stopping power on the feet, but his top pressure is also a useful weapon he implements at times. Spann establishes at least one takedown per fifteen minutes (TD Avg.:1.72). With grappling sequences leading to finishing sequences, Spann sports a very impressive 84.2% finishing rate (16 finishes/19 wins).
One of Spann’s strengths is his unparalleled ability to tire opponents out while forcing them to engage in clinch battles. This technique was utilized to great effect in Spann’s fight with the Latvian-born Misha Cirkunov. Early in round one, the work paid off, and Spann delivered a heater of a right hand that sat the 205-pound Cirkunov down. While the right hook and ground-and-pound follow-up were academic, it certainly highlighted Spann’s tremendous power.
Spann’s ability to overwhelm opponents is what often causes them to shoot in for a sloppy takedown against him. Of his eleven submission victories, a whopping seven come by way of guillotine choke. Without a doubt, this serves as one of his most dangerous weapons as he enters UFC Vegas 37 against Anthony Smith.
Smith will have to be mindful of Spann’s guillotine choke. Though Smith’s Jui-Jitsu is top-notch as the light heavyweight has only been submitted three times in a career that dates back to 2007.
In Smith’s last outing at UFC 261: Usman vs. Masvidal 2, he faced Australia’s, Jimmy Crute. This fight highlighted the two weapons that Smith has been using to great success: a low calf kick and a powerful lead jab. While Smith’s kick landed more on the joint of the knee, we have seen how powerful oblique kicks can be. So much so, that a committee has decided to take a closer look at the damaging kick.
Smith’s bullish tendencies have vanished and he’s developed into a methodical fighter. If there is an inkling that his standup is not up to par with his opponent, his veteran savvy takes him into a snatch single leg without thinking too extensively. His versatility by virtue of his cage experience is what makes each one of his fights so exciting to watch. MMA fans have witnessed the maturation of Anthony Smith. Starting his career in 2007, 51 fights later, and “Lionheart” is still clawing his way to the top.
Since the two are built physically similar, the jab will be less useful for Smith than it was in his last bout against Crute. Smith’s striking output is slightly lower than Spann’s, and not being able to keep Spann at bay by pumping jabs could be problematic for the former title challenger.
Ahead of the UFC Vegas 37 main event, things are heating up between the two. The #6-ranked Smith will look to leave no doubt in anyone’s mind that he’s gunning for the title as Spann looks to pursue the perfect finish.
Prediction: Ryan Spann def. Anthony Smith by TKO Round 2
Who do you think will come out on top in the UFC Vegas 37 main event?
Anthony Smith says he’s backing former opponent Glover Teixeira to defeat Jan Blachowicz in their title bout taking place 30 October. Smith lost emphatically to Teixeira in May last year in what was perhaps the worst example of a delayed stoppage in re…
Anthony Smith says he’s backing former opponent Glover Teixeira to defeat Jan Blachowicz in their title bout taking place 30 October. Smith lost emphatically to Teixeira in May last year in what was perhaps the worst example of a delayed stoppage in recent MMA history. Smith was literally picking his teeth up from the canvas […]
Anthony Smith is finding benefits in fighting down the rankings. Ever since his defeats to Glover Teixeira and Aleksandar Rakic last year, Smith has fought the younger and lower-ranked fighters in his division as he emerged victorious over Devin Clark and Jimmy Crute. His next opponent is another lower-ranked and upcoming fighter in Ryan Spann […]
Anthony Smith is finding benefits in fighting down the rankings.
Ever since his defeats to Glover Teixeira and Aleksandar Rakic last year, Smith has fought the younger and lower-ranked fighters in his division as he emerged victorious over Devin Clark and Jimmy Crute.
His next opponent is another lower-ranked and upcoming fighter in Ryan Spann who he will face in the UFC Vegas 37 headliner next weekend.
And as far as “Lionheart” is concerned, Spann offers nothing out of the ordinary to him especially compared to the specialists higher up in the division.
“Essentially that’s what it came down to, is, at the top of every division you have guys who are specialists, right? And guys who are just really good at keeping the fight in their kind of arena,” Smith said (via MMA Fighting). “And the rest of the division is — I know Ryan Spann takes it as disrespect when I say that there’s nothing that stands out about him. I’m not saying he’s not good. I’m just saying he’s not an Olympic medalist wrestler, he’s not a multiple-time world champion grappler, he’s not 150-1 as a kickboxer. He doesn’t do one thing overly better than the rest of his skills, so I don’t have to worry about sh*t when I’m in training camp.
“We just have to go in and we evaluate the places that he’s dangerous, and then I just try to sharpen my sword the best I can, and that’s the best part about this. When you’re fighting guys like Rakic, the thing that stands out about Rakic is he’s a monster kicker. I mean, he out-kicked Thiago Santos — nobody does that. He battered my leg with two leg kicks to where I couldn’t barely stand. You’ve got a guy like Glover who’s got a nasty left hook and his jiu-jitsu is f*cking fire. You’ve got Jan Blachowicz, crazy top game, really crazy power in his left hands. There’s things like that on all those guys.”
When it comes to his recent opponents though, Smith doesn’t have to worry about any specialties. In turn, he is able to train freely and get the best version of himself.
“You can kind of figure out what their thing is,” Smith continued. “Jimmy Crute doesn’t have that thing, Devin Clark doesn’t have that thing, and Ryan Spann doesn’t have that thing.
“So I can just train freely and just try to be as good as I can. So being in that position and fighting down in the rankings a little bit has allowed me to do that and just focus on myself.”
Anthony Smith believes that Jon Jones sitting out isn’t doing anyone any favors. Anthony Smith spoke about his old nemesis Jon Jones on the most recent episode of The MMA Hour. Smith, who will take on Ryan Spann on September 18th, doesn’t like Jo…
Anthony Smith believes that Jon Jones sitting out isn’t doing anyone any favors. Anthony Smith spoke about his old nemesis Jon Jones on the most recent episode of The MMA Hour. Smith, who will take on Ryan Spann on September 18th, doesn’t like Jones sitting on the sidelines as long as he has been. Not […]
Anthony Smith is finding benefits in fighting down the rankings. Ever since his defeats to Glover Teixeira and Aleksandar Rakic last year, Smith has fought the younger and lower-ranked fighters in his division as he emerged victorious over Devin Clark and Jimmy Crute. His next opponent is another lower-ranked and upcoming fighter in Ryan Spann […]