Anthony Smith News

Adam D Martin - November 19, 2021

UFC light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith explained why Conor McGregor has become “the outsider” amongst his fellow MMA fighters. Smith and McGregor have taken some shots at each other over the past several months, including McGregor recently criticizing Smith’s analysis on the UFC post-fight desk. If you ask Smith, though, McGregor isn’t actually trying to take shots at his fellow fighters to try and get under their skin. Instead, Smith thinks McGregor is just trying to fit in with his fellow fighters, but his peers have no interest in letting him back into their world.

Adam D Martin - November 14, 2021

UFC welterweight fighter Belal Muhammad responds after Conor McGregor scoffed at his and Anthony Smith’s UFC analysis on the post-fight desk. In a since-deleted Tweet, McGregor could be heard laughing overtop of Smith and Muhammad giving their analysis of the UFC fights on the ESPN post-fight desk. McGregor then posted the video of him laughing to his social media, which caught the eye of Muhammad, who immediately took a shot at McGregor for his broken leg. Check out the reply from Muhammad below to McGregor’s since-deleted tweet about him.

Cole Shelton - November 1, 2021

Anthony Smith could be facing Jan Blachowicz next time out. Smith revealed on Monday on The MMA Hour that he did agree to face Aleksandar Rakic on December 18. The fight was agreed to but Smith says he has a small injury that forced him out of the fight, but now he said just hours after Blachowicz lost his title to Glover Teixeira at UFC 267, the promotion offered him a fight against the Pole.

Harry Kettle - September 22, 2021

Anthony Smith has jumped up two spots in the UFC’s light heavyweight rankings after his win over Ryan Spann last weekend. Despite being seen as the favourite by many heading into Saturday night, Anthony Smith still managed to exceed expectations with a nasty submission win over Ryan Spann – followed by one of the best UFC promos of the year.

Adam D Martin - September 20, 2021

UFC light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith says he has squashed his beef with Ryan Spann following their recent fight at UFC Vegas 37. Smith finished Spann in the first round of their main event fight by submission after knocking his opponent down twice prior to choking him out. It was an incredible performance by Smith, who was fighting with a lot of emotion in the cage on Saturday night. Heading into this fight, Spann had some negative things to say about Smith, and “Lionheart” was not thrilled with that. At the end of the day, however, Smith got the last laugh when he entered the Octagon and took care of business with his rival Spann.

Adam D Martin - September 19, 2021

Top-ranked title contender Anthony Smith explained why he is rooting for Glover Teixeira to win the UFC light heavyweight title at UFC 267. At age 41, Teixeira will step into the Octagon next month in the main event of UFC 267 when he fights UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz for the belt. It should be an exceptional matchup between two elite 205lbers who have been around the game for a long time, and it’s also nice to see Teixeira get rewarded with a title shot after going on a long winning streak later in his career. If you ask Smith, seeing what Teixeira has been doing lately in the Octagon is truly special, and it’s part of the reason why he wants his former opponent to pull off the upset and pick up the win over Blachowicz in October.

Adam D Martin - September 19, 2021

UFC light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith calls for the Aleksandar Rakic rematch following the Ryan Spann finish at UFC Vegas 37. Smith won his third straight fight in the Octagon when he submitted Spann in the first round of their UFC Vegas 37 main event. For Smith, he has now won three straight fights by stoppage over Spann, Jimmy Crute, and Devin Clark. With a three-fight win streak now in his back pocket, “Lionheart” believes he has the ammunition he needs in order to call out the top dogs at 205lbs, and right now, Rakic is one of the best fighters in the weight class.

Chris Taylor - September 18, 2021

The Octagon remained in Nevada for tonight’s UFC Vegas 37 event, a fourteen bout fight card headlined by Anthony Smith vs. Ryan Spann. The light heavyweight main event proved to be a wild and short lived affair. Anthony Smith and Devin Clark both landed big shots in the early moments of the fight, but it was a right hand from ‘Lionheart’ that sent ‘Superman’ crashing to the canvas. From there, Smith would eventually lockup a rear-naked choke which forced Spann to tapout.

Chris Taylor - September 18, 2021

A key light heavyweight bout featuring Anthony Smith taking on Ryan Spann headlines tonight’s UFC Vegas 37 event. Smith (35-16 MMA) will be looking to extend his current win streak to three in a row when he makes the walk this evening. ‘Lionheart’ is coming off back-to-back stoppage wins over Jimmy Crute and Devin Clark in his most recent efforts.

Chris Taylor - September 18, 2021

The Octagon remains in Nevada for tonight’s UFC Vegas 37 event, a fourteen-bout fight card headlined by Anthony Smith vs. Ryan Spann. Smith (35-16 MMA) will be looking to extend his current win streak to three in a row when he makes the walk this evening. ‘Lionheart’ is coming off back-to-back stoppage wins over Jimmy Crute and Devin Clark in his most recent efforts.

Adam D Martin - September 17, 2021

The official weigh-ins for UFC Vegas 37 took place on Friday in Las Vegas, and 27 of the 28 fighters scheduled to compete have made weight. In the headliner, Anthony Smith takes on Ryan Spann in a light heavyweight bout between two fighters ranked in the top-15 of the division. The No. 6 ranked Smith stepped onto the scale at 205.5lbs, while the No. 11 ranked Spann weighed in at 206lbs. This is a big fight in the UFC light heavyweight division, so expect the winner to face a big-name next time out.

Harry Kettle - September 17, 2021

Anthony Smith believes that the current crop of UFC light heavyweights have pretty much caught up to 205-pound great Jon Jones. While “Lionheart” may have failed in his attempt to capture the strap from Jones two years ago, he’s still managed to shine through ever since as a big fan favourite in the division. From his personality to his fight style, it’s hard not to enjoy what Anthony Smith does for the UFC.

Chris Taylor - August 21, 2021

Conor McGregor has fired back at Anthony Smith, this after ‘Lionheart’ suggested the Irishman had gone “way too far” with his social media antics. McGregor (22-6 MMA) has engaged heated words with a number of UFC fighters as of late, in particular Daniel Cormier, Michael Bisping and Dustin Poirier.

Adam D Martin - August 19, 2021

UFC light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith explained how superstar Conor McGregor has gone “way too far” with his social media antics. McGregor has been taking to his social media as of late to make numerous vulgar comments about the likes of Dustin Poirier, Daniel Cormier, and Michael Bisping, plus of course all the things he said about Khabib Nurmagomedov in the past. It’s gotten to the point where his UFC peers, like Smith, are getting tired of his antics. Speaking to LowKickMMA’s James Lynch, Smith explained why McGregor has gone “way too far.”

Cole Shelton - August 18, 2021

Anthony Smith thinks fighting Jiri Prochazka would be a ton of fun. Prochazka is the former RIZIN light heavyweight champion and has made good so far in his UFC career. In his debut, he knocked out Volkan Oezdemir and followed that up with a highlight-reel KO over Dominick Reyes. He will now serve as the backup for the title fight, but Smith says that is a fight he would like to have.

Adam D Martin - July 21, 2021

Fellow UFC fighter Anthony Smith blasted Conor McGregor for making excuses following his loss to Dustin Poirier, saying “we are all injured.” McGregor lost via first-round TKO (doctor stoppage) to Poirier in their trilogy match at UFC 264, and afterwards, it has come out that he had a leg injury heading into the fight. Speaking on Sirius XM’s Fight Nation, Smith was asked about the reports of McGregor being hurt coming into the fight. For Smith, being injured is something that all MMA fighters have to deal with, and he believes that it’s not a valid excuse for McGregor.

Drake Riggs - June 22, 2021

Anthony Smith and Jon Jones have had a more heated rivalry after their UFC 235 clash than they did before it. Smith rebounded from his unanimous decision title loss to Jones with a fourth-round submission of Alexander Gustafsson. Afterward, Smith came up short in a wild affair with Glover Teixeira. This ultimately led to some shots being taken by Jones as Smith was a victim of a home invasion incident and didn’t take too kindly to the then champion’s comments.

Adam Martin - June 6, 2021

UFC light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith announced himself that he will next fight in a UFC Fight Night main event against Ryan Spann. Smith mentioned the fight against Spann himself during the UFC Vegas 28 pre-show on Saturday, and ESPN later confirmed the booking. The two top-15 ranked light heavyweights will meet on September 18 in the main event of a UFC Fight Night card. There is no venue or location set for the event yet, but Las Vegas seems plausible.