Anthony Smith upset MMA media turned home invasion story into Jon Jones rivalry

UFC light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith is upset that the MMA media turned his recent home invasion story into a rivalry with champion Jon Jones.

Smith and Jones, of course, met last March at UFC 235, with Jones once again defending the UFC light heavyweight championship with a unanimous decision win. The two have remained mostly cordial since that fight on social media and in interviews. But when Smith recently told the story of having his home invaded by an alleged drug-fueled former wrestler in the middle of the night, Jones used it to take a shot at Smith.

Smith ended up taking a shot at Jones in return, and all of a sudden the story of Smith fending off an intruder turned into a story about the rivalry between Jones and Smith. Speaking to MMAjunkie.com, Smith questions why the media decided to do that.

“They took a story I didn’t want to tell anyway and took it from this disaster that happened in my house and turned it into Jon Jones vs. Anthony Smith, which is exactly what Jon Jones wanted. That’s why he said something. It’s an opportunity for Jon to get in the media, he does it all the time. Any time Izzy (Adesanya) fights, who do you hear from? Jon Jones. Whoever. Name your goddamn person. Anytime Jon can get some, he’s going to get some. I can’t believe the media was OK with Jon using this opportunity to get his in,” Smith said.

Smith said that while he is not happy with the way the home invasion story ended up being about him beefing with Jones, he also said he understands why that happened based on how the media world operates. He just doesn’t agree with it.

“I’m not out here attacking the media. I’ve never been the fighter to attack the media. It’s a double-edged sword. We can run on morals but let’s not pretend like morals drives traffic and draws attention to your site. I get that. I just don’t have to like it. I understand it for sure. If Jon Jones is going to tweet at me and be an asshole on something personal, I get it. If you’re not going to write about it or retweet it or comment on it as an MMA outlet, you’re missing because someone else is going to. I get it. Clicks and likes and traffic matters. I understand that, but I don’t have to like it. I’m not out here attacking the media. It’s disappointing. It sucks,” Smith said.

Do you agree with what Anthony Smith said about the media?