Anthony Smith brushes off those who aren’t impressed by his wins over two former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight champions.
Smith has made a smooth transition from middleweight to light heavyweight so far. He has earned two first-round knockout victories over Rashad Evans and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. Smith finds himself at the ninth spot on the official UFC light heavyweight rankings, but there are detractors.
Anthony Smith Brushes Off Doubters
The “Lionheart” recently spoke to the media backstage at UFC Lincoln. He addressed those who aren’t impressed by his win over two former champions who are past their prime (via MMAJunkie.com):
“I think for the fans, it’s going to make a difference, because as much as I think it’s (expletive), everyone pretends like I’m out here beating up children that can’t defend themselves any more. We know that’s not the case. But it is what it is, so now, it’s someone closer to my age, and I think this will really shut the people up and say, ‘Alright, maybe he’s for real.’”
Smith has a fight date and opposing him will be Volkan Oezdemir. The two will collide inside the Moncton Events Centre in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada on Oct. 6. It’s a huge opportunity for Smith as Oezdemir is the second ranked UFC light heavyweight.
In his last six outings, Smith has gone 5-1. His last defeat was against Thiago Santos and it was the final straw in his decision to exit the middleweight division. Smith believes his poor weight cutting negatively impacted his performances.
Do you think Anthony Smith will prove he’s just as dangerous against younger 205-pounders?
