UFC security would have to clean up my mess - Anthony Smith says he'd have "destroyed the locker room" if Jon Jones fight decision went down like Valentina Shevchenko vs. Taila Santos
Light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith has admitted he would have "destroyed the locker room" if he had been given a split-decision loss against Jon Jones like the one Taila Santos received against Valentina Shevchenko.
'Lionheart', who fought 'Bones' for the 205lbs strap back in 2019, lost the fight via unanimous decision. However, the fight wasn't without controversy. Jones landed an illegal knee on Smith in the fourth round which resulted in two points being deducted for the then-champion. Despite the setback, Jones comfortably won on the judges' scorecards.
At UFC 275, 'Bullet' defended her title against the 28-year-old Santos. Shevchenko narrowly won the bout via a razor-close split decision. It did look as though she was heading for defeat before an accidental headbutt changed the landscape of the fight. Now revealed to be a shattered orbital bone, the Brazilian was clearly affected by the injury. Perhaps sensing the opportunity, the champion grinded out the final rounds to have her hand raised.
Despite the injury, many fans and fighters believe Santos did enough to be crowned the new champion.
On the latest episode of the Believe You Me podcast, Bisping asked Anthony Smith what he would have done if his Jon Jones fight was a back-and-forth affair and the verdict went against him as it did with Santos. 'Lionheart' replied:
"I would have destroyed the locker room. The UFC security would have had to come in and clean up my mess because I'd have freaked the f**k out... I'll keep it together in front of people, but I'll make sure it's in private and there'll be 60 seconds where I just lose it."
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#UFC275 Official Scorecards: Valentina Shevchenko (@BulletValentina) vs Taila Santos
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Although she didn't have her hand raised, Taila Santos made history at UFC 275. She is the first fighter to win on a judge's scorecard against Valentina Shevchenko since the champion moved down to the women's flyweight division.
The rankings update has the 28-year-old at the No.2 position in the division and there is certainly an argument for an immediate rematch.
Catch Anthony Smith and Michael Bisping's breakdown of the UFC 275 co-main event here:
Anthony Smith and Michael Bisping shocked at judges' scorecards for Valentina Shevchenko vs. Taila Santos
In the same episode of the podcast, Anthony Smith and Michael Bisping gave their take on the controversial co-main event at UFC 275 in Singapore. Although the fight was incredibly close, it was the first round that looked to be the difference on the scorecards.
'Lionheart' was stunned when one of the three judges scored it for Shevchenko, despite the champion being controlled for over four minutes on the ground. He stated:
"The 49-46 is f***ing crazy. Like how you give [Valentina Shevchenko] round one is beyond me. She was controlled for four minutes and ten seconds. If you land one punch on your feet and then you're controlled for four minutes and ten seconds, like, you lose that round. If [your opponent] doesn't touch you from the top position, you still lose that round."
Bisping added:
"I thought it was three rounds to two for Taila Santos... The fact that three different people thought different rounds were close just goes to show how it's subjective."
Both Anthony Smith and Michael Bisping disagreed with judge Clemens Werner, who scored the first round for the champion.
The win for 'Bullet' extended her flyweight title defense record to seven. Despite the controversy, the bout showed there is talent in the division that can put pressure on the dominant champion.