The UFC Vegas 8 suspensions are in as two fighters receive possible six-month sits while Anthony Smith is only suspended 45 days. In the main event, Aleksandar Rakic dominated Smith to earn a clear-cut decision. Rakic dropped “Lionheart” wi…
The UFC Vegas 8 suspensions are in as two fighters receive possible six-month sits while Anthony Smith is only suspended 45 days. In the main event, Aleksandar Rakic dominated Smith to earn a clear-cut decision. Rakic dropped “Lionheart” with brutal leg kicks and after the event, Smith admitted he is not doing well. Among the […]
Anthony Smith is having a hard time after his UFC Vegas 8 main event loss to Aleksandar Rakic. Smith was returning to the Octagon just three months after his beatdown loss to Glover Teixeira in May. “Lionheart” entered the fight as a sizeable underdog and early on got dropped due to leg kicks. Rakic was […]
Anthony Smith is having a hard time after his UFC Vegas 8 main event loss to Aleksandar Rakic.
Smith was returning to the Octagon just three months after his beatdown loss to Glover Teixeira in May. “Lionheart” entered the fight as a sizeable underdog and early on got dropped due to leg kicks. Rakic was beating his leg up and for the rest of the fight the Austrian dominated it with ground and pound.
“It’s not good,” he said when asked about the state of his leg, which took a significant amount of punishment in the fight (via BJPENN.com). “It’s not good at all. I’m still on crutches, so there’s that.
“If I’m being really honest with you guys, I’m not doing well,” Smith added, opening up on his mental state. “I’m super disappointed. I couldn’t get out of bed on Sunday. They had to send people from the [UFC Performance Institute] to my hotel room and drug me up and put a bunch of anti-inflammatory creams and big compression ice machines [on me]. It was like I had a whole f**king team in my room.
“It’s a little bit better today,” Smith continued. “There’s an occult fracture on my fibula head, so that’s cool. It sounds bad, but it’s not a huge deal actually. In four to six weeks it will be fine.”
For Anthony Smith, he said the leg kicks made it impossible for him to fight how he wanted to. He could barely stand on it so he couldn’t generate any power striking. So, he had to keep the fight on the ground and see if he could pull out a submission.
Not only is the defeat disappointing, but Smith is surprised his leg gave out after just three leg kicks from Rakic.
“Had I not had the leg damage, I would have changed my gameplan and just said ‘alright, we’re just going to stand in this boxing range and we’re just going to go to town here,’” he said. “And I’m confident I’d have been fine. But I couldn’t take one more leg kick. I didn’t have the ability to change my game plan to just strike with him and just box, because the one time he steps back into kicking range, and I don’t have enough time to close that distance, I’m down, and I’m not getting back up.
“That’s the thing. He kicked me three times. That is nuts. Hector Lombard kicked me 32 times in that fight. No issues. Three kicks from Aleksandar Rakic and I’m on crutches.”
Where Anthony Smith goes from here is uncertain. There is no question this is a disappointing loss for him.
What do you think should be next for Anthony Smith?
Anthony Smith is unsure of his next move following a loss to Aleksandar Rakic in the UFC on ESPN+ 33 main event. At UFC on ESPN+ 33, Anthony Smith looked to bounce back from a brutal loss to Glover Teixeira earlier this year when he took on Aleksandar …
Anthony Smith is unsure of his next move following a loss to Aleksandar Rakic in the UFC on ESPN+ 33 main event. At UFC on ESPN+ 33, Anthony Smith looked to bounce back from a brutal loss to Glover Teixeira earlier this year when he took on Aleksandar Rakic in the main event. Unfortunately for […]
In the UFC Vegas 8 main event former light-heavyweight title challenger Anthony Smith dropped to a second straight loss against Aleksandar Rakic. The Serbian standout was able to dominate the fight with wrestling and heavy leg kicks. Prior to that former welterweight champ, Robbie Lawler lost his fourth straight fight – in a unanimous decision […]
In the UFC Vegas 8 main event former light-heavyweight title challenger Anthony Smith dropped to a second straight loss against Aleksandar Rakic. The Serbian standout was able to dominate the fight with wrestling and heavy leg kicks. Prior to that former welterweight champ, Robbie Lawler lost his fourth straight fight – in a unanimous decision to Neil Magny.
Join Jordan Ellis and Ryan Galloway who recap these fights and the entire UFC Vegas 8 card in the latest LowKickMMApodcast.
Anthony Smith admits Aleksandar Rakic was much stronger than him in the UFC Vegas 8 main event. ‘Lionheart’ was dominated for three rounds on the mat in his lopsided decision loss to the Serbian. Speaking on the UFC on ESPN+ 33 post-fight show Smith bemoaned the lack of weight divisions in MMA which means he […]
Anthony Smith admits Aleksandar Rakic was much stronger than him in the UFC Vegas 8 main event. ‘Lionheart’ was dominated for three rounds on the mat in his lopsided decision loss to the Serbian.
Speaking on the UFC on ESPN+ 33 post-fight show Smith bemoaned the lack of weight divisions in MMA which means he is too big for middleweight and somewhat undersized against the best light-heavyweight fighters, he said.
“I’ve never been one of the guys that’s out here pining and calling for more weight classes, but in these last couple of fights that’s kind of where my brain goes. I’m just too big for 185, and you start getting into these bigger, stronger, taller, longer guys. They’re just so strong. … I think I got some big decisions to make in my career and figure out where we go from here. It’s super frustrating to lose to a guy you feel you can beat.”
Smith ate countless nasty legs kicks throughout the fight – especially in round one. ‘Lionheart’ made the adjustments and closed the distance but was still being dominated by the bigger, stronger man, he explained.
“Well, the first round I kind of stayed in kicking range at the beginning, which was obviously stupid now. He just beat on my lead leg, and then we got into clinch and grappling exchanges, which I felt OK in, but he was just so strong. He’s so big,” Smith said. “… He was so tight on top that I couldn’t make any space. I guess just my biggest takeaway is that he’s just so big and so strong.”
Smith went on to ponder a move back down to the middleweight division, speaking of the lengths he would need to go to in order to make 185lbs safely.
“I don’t know. (One hundred and eighty-five pounds) is still really tough,” Smith said. “It’s a total lifestyle change, and that’s year-round. It’s not like one of those things where I can get into camp and change my diet and cut down. It’s a complete lifestyle change. I guess that’s one of the options. I guess the other option is to take some time off and get bigger. I don’t know. I’ve got some things to decide on.” (Transcribed by MMA Junkie)
Do you think Anthony Smith should drop down to middleweight?
It was a UFC Fight Night with a little something for everyone. There were quick submissions, wide decisions, impressive newcomers and compelling veterans…
It was a UFC Fight Night with a little something for everyone. There were quick submissions, wide decisions, impressive newcomers and compelling veterans…