"No one else would do it" - Chael Sonnen commends Anthony Smith for being the only light heavyweight willing to fight Magomed Ankalaev
Anthony Smith and Magomed Ankalaev fight at UFC 277 in a clash of light heavyweight contenders, and Chael Sonnen believes 'Lionheart' is going to scrap with Ankalaev and win.
Sonnen shared his fight prediction in his latest YouTube video, where he gave Smith a lot of credit for even accepting a fight against the 17-1 Ankalaev. Sonnen said:
"Anthony did not get this [fight] because he's got a problem with Ankalaev, their paths crossed or their rankings make sense. He got it because no one else would do it. You gotta get credit for that... Anthony was not the first one called. Ankalaev is a problem. Ankalaev scares guys, is what I've seen. I don't see people engaging him. Ankalaev will fight and control range as though he's Jon Jones and he's got 300 inch arms. Guys will stay out, they won't get in there, they don't want to go in the meat grinder, they stay back."
Hope we get this Magomed Ankalaev this weekend
https://t.co/zdXRsrKdbM
Sonnen suggested that Anthony Smith would be the first fighter in a long time to push the pace with Ankalaev and turn things into a brawl. With the fight being a non-main event, 'Lionheart' will have all the cardio he needs to blitz his opponent.
"15 minutes? That's a very short amount of time than [Smith] is used to. He is going to push that pace like you've never seen him push. I promise you that, he is going to get in Ankalaev's face. There is going to be a fight. There is not a mixed martial arts exhibit here. Some guys are mixed martial artists and some guys are cage fighters. And the boys out of Dagestan and the young man out of Nebraska fit the latter. I'm taking Anthony Smith."
Watch Chael Sonnen discuss Smith vs. Ankalaev at UFC 277:
Anthony Smith says Magomed Ankalaev has been in "zero f***ing fights"
Anthony Smith agrees with Chael Sonnen's assessment of Magomed Ankalaev's UFC career. During the UFC 277 pre-fight press conference, Smith said:
"Man, he's good, he really is. He doesn't make a lot of mistakes. He's never out of position, but I'm of the belief that Magomed Ankalaev has been in eighteen mixed martial arts competitions and zero f**king fights. So, Saturday night he's going to be in a fight."
"I’m of the belief that Magomed Ankalaev has been in 18 mixed martial arts competitions and zero f*cking fights."
Anthony Smith will bring the fight at #UFC277.
Full story: bit.ly/3Bowr4F https://t.co/QGbFfBjFak
Smith is a heavy +350 underdog to Ankalaev's -500 favorite status, which are some wide odds. It just shows you how much credit people give Ankalaev for his methodical approach to dominating his fights. As Smith said, though, he always brings a fight. It will be interesting to see how his opponent reacts to non-stop pressure.