Maurice Smith says one fight made the different in how his and Marco Ruas’ legacies played out.
Smith is an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Hall of Famer. He’s also a former UFC heavyweight title holder. In perhaps the most memorable moment of Smith’s career, he kicked his way to a unanimous decision victory over Mark Coleman to capture the gold.
Ruas isn’t exactly a fan of Smith’s induction and feels he’s earned that spot. Speaking with A.G. Fight, Smith explained the deciding factor (via Flo Combat):
“It’s just a fight [that made the difference]. I met Marco Ruas before he fought Paul Varelans, and he’s a very nice guy. He used kicks to win. The difference is that my fight was for a belt. I think that if Paul had been a champion, [Ruas] would have been awarded just as I have been.”
He went on to say that despite Ruas’ accomplishments, he feels the competition pales in comparison.
“In theory, [Ruas] has a better record than me in the UFC. He has four wins and two losses and I have four wins and three losses, but unfortunately–that’s just my opinion–he hasn’t fought top guys like I have […]. I was a champion at Extreme Fighting and I fought [the UFC] champion. I think it was just that one fight [that made the difference].”
