Anthony Smith explains what he’s changed to correct two-fight skid

Anthony Smith has made a few changes heading into his UFC Vegas 15 co-headlining battle with fellow light heavyweight contender Devin Clark.

Smith, who was previously ranked among the top-5 in the UFC light heavyweight division, has recently fallen on hard times, losing back-to-back fights. The first of those two losses occurred in May, when he was thrashed to a fifth-round TKO loss by Glover Teixeira. The second occured in August, when he was thumped to a decision loss by Aleksandar Rakic.

With two losses in the rear-view mirror, the pressure is on for Smith as he heads into his Saturday night clash with Clark.

Speaking at the virtual media day for the UFC Vegas 15 card, he revealed he’s made a handful of changes to ensure he’s at his best in the cage on the night. Most notably, he’s dialed back his media and analysis obligations—something he deduced might be necessary through the therapy sessions he undertook after his loss to Rakic.

“I spend two one-hour sessions a week with my therapist,” Smith said (video via MMA Junkie). “Really since I fought Aleksandar Rakic, I’ve been figuring it out that I can’t do it all. I can’t do it all.

“We talk about keeping the main thing the main thing,” Smith added. “It’s the media side, it’s the analyst duties, which I love. I love coming to the events, I love talking to the guys. I love talking about them. I love bigging them up and shedding a light on something fans wouldn’t typically see and maybe drawing fans to that specific person. I love my radio show. I love all that stuff, but the thing that gave me all those opportunities to do that is fighting, and if I’m pulling too much away from fighting, and I’m taking away from the main thing, I can’t do that.”

How do you think Anthony Smith will look in the cage this weekend?