Anthony Smith believes a victory over Volkan Oezdemir can give him a shot at the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight title.
Smith has defeated former UFC light heavyweight champions Rashad Evans and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, but this time he’ll be taking on a top 205-pounder in his prime. On Oct. 27, Smith and Oezdemir will collide in the main event of UFC Moncton. The action takes place inside Avenir Centre in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada.
Anthony Smith Is Eyeing UFC Gold
The “Lionheart” recently spoke to BJPenn.com. Smith made it clear that he’s viewing his fight with “No Time” as a number one contender bout:
“Yeah, I think so. Things have been going well. The pieces of the puzzle are finally starting to come together and I feel like I’m just now entering my prime.” Smith continued, “as far as Volkan goes, its really never been about the names to me. It’s more about the number in front of their name that I’m concerned with.”
Oezdemir is the second ranked UFC light heavyweight. He hasn’t competed since being stopped by Daniel Cormier at UFC 220 in a light heavyweight title fight. Meanwhile, Smith sits at the ninth spot on the 205-pound rankings. He’ll get a significant boost up with a win over Oezdemir.
UFC Moncton’s co-main event will feature Conor McGregor’s longtime friend and training partner Artem Lobov taking on Khabib Nurmagomedov’s teammate Zubaira Tukhugov. The bout was planned for UFC 229 this Saturday night (Oct. 6), but Tukhugov wasn’t cleared by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) in time for the event.
Do you believe Anthony Smith will earn a UFC light heavyweight title shot?
