Anthony Smith doesn’t want to miss out on fighting in a special location.
This Saturday night (June 9), Smith will take on former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight title holder Rashad Evans. The bout will be featured on the preliminary portion of UFC 225. It’ll take place inside the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
It’s a relief for both Smith and Evans that this bout will be contested in the light heavyweight division. Smith was once a middleweight and the weight cuts did him no favors.
MMA News’ Tim Thompson spoke to Smith, who explained why he doesn’t think a return to middleweight is in the cards:
“I just don’t think I can do it to myself anymore. Not only me, I can’t do it to my family and I can’t do it to my coaches and the people that are there with me. It’s took me 12 hours to get on weight the last hard cut. I’m not doing it by myself. How ready is Jim and Mark the next day after getting no sleep, they’ve been cutting weight. I can’t do it to myself, I can’t do it to my family because I’m a much happier person.”
The outcome of UFC 225 is very important to Smith. If he’s able to walk out of the United Center unscathed, he knows he has a great chance of being a part of the UFC Lincoln card in August. Smith was born in Corpus Christi, Texas but he fights out of Omaha, Nebraska and the area remains close to his heart.
Smith said a quick win over Evans means he’ll likely get to fulfill a dream:
“I’m less concerned with names and more concerned with location. There’s a UFC Fight Night in Lincoln, Nebraska. I’m gonna do whatever I have to do with Rashad to get him out of there as quick as possible to get a quick turnaround. I made my pro debut two blocks from that arena in Lincoln, almost 10 years.”
Check out our exclusive interview with Anthony Smith below:
