Anthony Smith doesn’t absolutely perceive the meat between himself and champion Alex Periera.
Regardless of being a great distance away from a possible title alternative, Pereira has taken repeated digs at Smith in recent times, the newest coming at UFC 301 when ‘Poatan’ hilariously pretended to fall asleep simply as ‘Lionheart’ was seconds away from preventing Vitor Petrino.
As an analyst for the UFC, Smith was fast to level out that Pereira’s success contained in the Octagon is particularly spectacular contemplating his lack of a floor sport. That kicked off a back-and-forth between the two 205’ers culminating in Pereira laying down a $50,000 grappling problem, which Smith gladly accepted.
Since then, Smith has been inundated with feedback from hardcore ‘Poatan’ followers suggesting that Smith is doing every little thing he can to keep away from throwing fingers with the previous GLORY Kickboxing champion.
“Right here’s one other factor I catch a number of sh*t about,” Smith mentioned on The MMA Hour. “In all places, ‘Oh, after all, Anthony needs to grapple Alex Pereira. In fact, he solely needs to do one a part of blended martial arts.’ As a result of it wasn’t my f*cking concept. It wasn’t my f*cking concept. Each single time grappling has been introduced up with Alex Pereira, he f*cking introduced it up. I’ve by no means challenged him to something, not even a battle, as a result of I haven’t been ready the place I can confidently name him out. The reply to regardless of the f*ck he needs to do is sure.
“If he needs to battle, field, kickbox, wrestle, f*cking thumb wrestle, checkers, chess, Halo on Xbox, I don’t give a f*ck. No matter he needs to do, the reply is sure. However I’m not the one who retains difficult him. If he needs to grapple, sure, I’ll completely do this. I might select that over every little thing that I simply mentioned, that might be probably the most enjoyable for me, for certain. However I’m not the one who retains bringing it up” (h/t MMA Fighting).
Anthony Smith can admire Alex Pereira’s humorousness
As for Pereira’s antics at UFC 301, Anthony Smith didn’t see it occur stay, however later watched it again on video and couldn’t assist however be amused by the two-division titleholder’s model of humor.
“It’s bizarre,” Smith mentioned. “I don’t come at him. I’ve by no means come for him like that. In fact, you might have the title belt in my division, so when folks say, ‘What’s your objective?’ I wish to battle the champion. I wish to battle Alex Pereira. However he goes out of his option to choose at me, which is okay. It doesn’t hassle me, I believe it’s superior truly, it’s form of a number of enjoyable as a result of he has a humorousness.
“Like I’ve at all times mentioned, he’s not this man that’s only a serial killer mindset. He’s obtained a humorousness, he’s humorous, he has a very good pulse on social media and he does job of molding and weaving out and in of media stuff. He’s very, very clever, so I take pleasure in that a part of it. It’s simply bizarre to me.”
After shedding back-to-back bouts in opposition to Magomed Ankalaev and Johnny Walker, ‘Lionheart’ has now received two of his final three, together with his first-round guillotine submission victory over the previously undefeated Vitor Petrino in Rio.
Smith at the moment sits at No. 10 within the gentle heavyweight rankings.
Trending Merchandise
