Tag: Anthony Smith

Anthony Smith Steps In For Johnny Walker, Faces Jimmy Crute On April 24

SmithAnthony Smith will be taking on Jimmy Crute in light heavyweight action. Crute was initially set to face Johnny Walker on the UFC’s upcoming March 27 card. However, Walker had to pull out due to injury and will now be replaced by Smith. Additionally, the fight will be rescheduled for the UFC’s April 24 event. […]

Smith

Anthony Smith will be taking on Jimmy Crute in light heavyweight action.

Crute was initially set to face Johnny Walker on the UFC’s upcoming March 27 card. However, Walker had to pull out due to injury and will now be replaced by Smith. Additionally, the fight will be rescheduled for the UFC’s April 24 event.

It’s something that pleases Crute as he believes Walker is ducking him. Instead, he will now get a bigger opponent in former title challenger Smith.

“A wise man called @danielkellyjudo once told me “in a sport that’s supposed to be full of tough guys you’d be surprised at how many pussies there are in this sport” very true words. Disappointed that my opponent has ducked me yet again but I can’t say that I am surprised that being said I can’t express how excited and grateful I am that a true fighter has decided to step in and fight me. This is a better fight , better name and bigger challenge but I’m ready for it.”

As far as Smith is concerned, he’s happy to give Crute an opportunity and is also excited about the matchup.

“He’s a good kid and he deserves it, it’s a tough fight for sure,” Smith told ESPN.

Smith recently snapped a two-fight losing streak with a submission win over Devin Clark in November.

Crute, meanwhile, is on a two-fight winning streak following a submission win over Michal Oleksiejczuk and a knockout victory over Modesta Bukauskas. In total, he has won four of his last five outings since signing wih the UFC in 2018.

Who do you have winning this matchup?

Anthony Smith Steps in for Johnny Walker to Face Jim Crute April 24

Anthony Smith will be filling in for Johnny Walker to face Jim Crute on April 24 in a fight between two ranked light heavyweights. ESPN has reported that Johnny Walker has been forced to pull out of his fight against Jim Crute, prompting Anthony Smith …

Anthony Smith will be filling in for Johnny Walker to face Jim Crute on April 24 in a fight between two ranked light heavyweights. ESPN has reported that Johnny Walker has been forced to pull out of his fight against Jim Crute, prompting Anthony Smith to step up to the plate. Thus far, there is […]

Anthony Smith ‘Would Love To Beat’ Luke Rockhold Up

Anthony Smith is still interested in making the Luke Rockhold fight happen. Before Rockhold made the move up to light heavyweight at UFC 239 against Jan Blachowicz, the former middleweight champ was trashing Anthony Smith. He made it clear that if &#82…

Anthony Smith is still interested in making the Luke Rockhold fight happen. Before Rockhold made the move up to light heavyweight at UFC 239 against Jan Blachowicz, the former middleweight champ was trashing Anthony Smith. He made it clear that if “Lionheart” could get a title shot at 205-pounds it would be easy for him […]

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Anthony Smith Still Hates Luke Rockhold, ‘Would Love To Beat That Guy Up’

Smith Luke Rockhold unimpressedThere is still no love lost between Anthony Smith and Luke Rockhold. Smith snapped a two-fight losing skid after enjoying a first-round submission victory over Devin Clark at UFC Vegas 15 this past weekend. “Lionheart” has since claimed he would be okay with fighting lower-ranked opponents if that’s what it would take to get him […]

Smith Luke Rockhold unimpressed

There is still no love lost between Anthony Smith and Luke Rockhold.

Smith snapped a two-fight losing skid after enjoying a first-round submission victory over Devin Clark at UFC Vegas 15 this past weekend.

“Lionheart” has since claimed he would be okay with fighting lower-ranked opponents if that’s what it would take to get him back into title contention. However, there is one opponent not in the rankings that also makes sense and that’s Rockhold.

The former middleweight champion hasn’t competed since a failed light heavyweight debut against Jan Blachowicz last year that saw him suffer a brutal second-round knockout defeat. He has since hinted at a potential return and Smith is more than happy to face him now that it makes sense.

“I hate Luke Rockhold. I would love to beat that guy up,” Smith said on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show (via Middle Easy). “I just think that at the beginning of the Luke Rockhold and I beef, it didn’t make any sense at all because he wasn’t even in the division. Then he looked awful in the Jan (Blachowicz) fight, which in hindsight I guess doesn’t look bad anymore, but it just didn’t make any sense at the time.

“I think had this fight with Devin (Clark) had been with Luke, it would have made sense. But Luke still hasn’t shown his ability to stay conscious long enough to have a real fight.”

The beef between Rockhold and Smith stemmed from when the former mocked the latter for getting a title shot against Jon Jones last year. Smith has wanted to beat up Rockhold ever since as it doesn’t look like their beef is ending anytime soon.

That said, Smith is open to burying the hatchet. The only question is if Rockhold is capable of doing the same.

“There’s not too many people that get under my skin like that and Luke absolutely did,” Smith said. “At the end of the day, if we’re in different weight classes I can probably let it go. I’ve actually had other issues that weren’t as public, with other guys that are still in the UFC. Like me and Uriah Hall, we couldn’t even be in the same room at the same time. Me and Derek Brunson had some back and forth a little bit some years ago, when Strikeforce came over to the UFC.

“It’s kind of cool now, I see Uriah out and we’re all chummy and buddies and stuff, and me and Derek are on cordial terms. So I’m not against burying the hatchet and moving on and being an adult. I just don’t feel like Luke’s one of those guys you can do that with. I think his ego’s too big to do something like that.”

Would you like to see Rockhold vs. Smith?

Anthony Smith Rejects Jimi Manuwa Call Out: ‘He Can’t Stay Conscious’

Anthony SmithFormer light-heavyweight title challenger Anthony Smith has shutdown talks of a potential fight between him and British puncher Jimi Manuwa. Smith snapped a two-fight losing streak this weekend. ‘Lionheart’ quickly tapped Devin Clark in the UFC Vegas 15 main event after previously falling short against Glover Teixeira and Aleksandar Rakic. Manuwa ended his MMA career last […]

Anthony Smith

Former light-heavyweight title challenger Anthony Smith has shutdown talks of a potential fight between him and British puncher Jimi Manuwa.

Smith snapped a two-fight losing streak this weekend. ‘Lionheart’ quickly tapped Devin Clark in the UFC Vegas 15 main event after previously falling short against Glover Teixeira and Aleksandar Rakic.

Manuwa ended his MMA career last year on a four-fight losing streak, losing three of the four via TKO or knockout. In his last fight, which took place from Stockholm, Sweden, Manuwa was knocked out by Aleksandar Raki? in just 42 seconds after a hellacious head kick. He hasn’t picked up a victory since knocking out Corey Anderson in their UFC London headliner from March of 2017. As of late the Englishman has been leaning towards making a comeback to the sport.

In the aftermath of UFC Vegas 15, Manuwa took to social media to play down Smith’s win and suggest he’d easily win if they fought, he wrote.

“Lion heart got fed an easy fight. I’d spark him #night x”

In an interview with James Lynch for Line Movement, Smith addressed the multiple callouts he has received since getting back in the win column, he said.

“What is Jimi Manuwa thinking? Jimmy Crute, crazy respectful kid man. I am a fan of his and I like his style. And the same with Paul Craig, fairly respectful callout the last time after he fought ‘Shogun.’ And even now, gave me props on my submission and then asked if I wanted to go to ‘Fight Island’ or something like that.”

Smith isn’t entertaining disrespectful callouts from Manuwa who he thinks it would be “silly” to fight at this stage in their careers.  

“But then Jimi Manuwa, every time he says something about me it just sounds so cringy, like, he’s looked awful in his last four fights and then retired because he wasn’t able to stay conscious the entire time he was fighting,” Smith said. “If he wants to come back, man, that would be silly for me to entertaining at this point.” (Transcribed by MMA Mania)

Do you want to see Anthony Smith vs. Jimi Manuwa?

Anthony Smith Names Preferred Opponent For Next Bout

Now that Anthony Smith is again moving in the right direction after his UFC on ESPN 18 victory, he has a specific opponent in mind for his next fight. Prior to defeating Devin Clark in the main event of UFC on ESPN 18 last night, Anthony Smith had suff…

Now that Anthony Smith is again moving in the right direction after his UFC on ESPN 18 victory, he has a specific opponent in mind for his next fight. Prior to defeating Devin Clark in the main event of UFC on ESPN 18 last night, Anthony Smith had suffered two lopsided defeats in a row. […]

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