Anthony Smith opens up on retirement fight against Zhang Mingyang: “I was very shocked with the matchup”

Anthony Smith was just as shocked as everyone else to learn his final UFC opponent.

‘Lionheart’ has been out of the cage since a clash with Dominick Reyes in December. Anthony Smith entered UFC 310 with a heavy heart, fighting just weeks after the passing of his coach, Scott Morton. Sadly for the former title challenger, he was dominated and handed a second-round stoppage loss by ‘The Devastator’.

Post-fight, Anthony Smith teased retirement. However, the 36-year-old quickly u-turned on the idea and stated plans to have one final fight. Earlier this week, reports emerged about ‘Lionheart’ facing the unranked Zhang Mingyang at UFC Kansas City in April. The news surprised fans, given the Chinese fighter’s relatively low profile.

Speaking on a recent edition of his podcast, Anthony Smith confirmed that he would be facing Zhang Mingyang next. During the discussion, the UFC light-heavyweight admitted that he was also shocked to learn that he would be facing ‘Mountain Tiger’. However, after doing some research on Mingyang, he understood the fight booking.

RELATED: UFC LEGEND RICH FRANKLIN SHOWS INTEREST IN POTENTIAL COMEBACK: “UNDER THE RIGHT CIRCUMSTANCE…”

Anthony Smith opens up ahead of retirement fight against Zhang Mingyang at UFC Kansas City

“I didn’t have any suggestions [for my final opponent] but I was very shocked with the matchup.” Anthony Smith stated earlier this week on his podcast. That wasn’t a bad thing. I just wasn’t expecting that one. But, once I looked into him a little bit and sat on it, it makes a lot of sense why they would go in that direction… I’ve known Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby and those guys a really long time, and they’ve always been pretty straight-up with me.”

He continued, “Even in times that I don’t like it. They’ve always been very honest and very clear and [their] explanation was really that he is exciting and we don’t know where he is in terms of his skill set. He’s hyper-aggressive and hard to matchup and they know that I want a fight that’s going to be really exciting. Not some boring, scrape-one-out to finish my career. It’s probably going to be a highlight one way or the other.”

While Zhang Mingyang doesn’t have a massive profile, Anthony Smith is correct in his assessment of the light-heavyweight. ‘Moutain Tiger’ has a very aggressive style, and has scored knockout wins in both of his UFC appearances thus far. He was last seen in the cage in November, scoring a first-round stoppage win over Ozzy Diaz.

What do you make of these comments from the UFC light-heavyweight? Are you excited for Anthony Smith’s final fight against Zhang Mingyang?