Exclusive: Anthony Smith gets candid about Sean Strickland's brutal honesty - "Nobody has to like you"
Sean Strickland is undoubtedly among the most outspoken fighters in the UFC, and it appears Anthony Smith is a fan of the middleweight champion's unfiltered nature. Smith weighed in on Strickland's raw personality and praised him for always speaking his mind regardless of the consequences.
'Lionheart' is gearing up to face Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC Vegas 83 this weekend at the Apex facility. While Rountree Jr. was initially booked against Azamat Murzakanov, the Russian was forced to pull out due to illness. Fortunately for Rountree Jr., Smith stepped in on a two-week notice to replace Murzakanov.
In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Anthony Smith weighed in on Sean Strickland's blunt and straightforward manner of communicating his thoughts to the world. Praising 'Tarzan' for staying true to himself, Smith said:
"That's just who Sean Strickland is. Anytime that I've been around Sean Strickland... You never have to wonder where you're at with him. You know if he likes you, and you know if he doesn't."
He continued:
"Whether he's got a title or doesn't have a title, he's gonna be honest and he's gonna be his true self. I appreciate that about him. I know a lot of people don't like it. I probably wouldn't like it if he was talking about me. But I respect it... Nobody has to like you. Sean Strickland deserves the respect, for sure."
Anthony Smith believes Leon Edwards would avoid middleweight move if Khamzat Chimaev was champion
Anthony Smith recently shared his thoughts on Leon Edwards potentially moving up to 185 pounds to challenge for the middleweight title. Smith opined that the Englishman wouldn't be so keen to move up if Khamzat Chimaev was champion instead of Sean Strickland.
Edwards is set to defend the welterweight championship against Colby Covington at UFC 296 in December. In the lead-up to the fight, 'Rocky' has made it clear that he could potentially move up to middleweight if he got past Covington. However, Edwards' statements didn't go down well with many who believe he should face other 170-pound title contenders first.
During a podcast episode with Michael Bisping, Anthony Smith opined that Leon Edwards must face contenders like Belal Muhammad, Ian Garry, Shavkat Rakhmonov, and Gilbert Burns first. He continued:
"Of course, he’s going to want to move up right now. If Khamzat [Chimaev] was the champion, I don’t know if we’d see Leon running to middleweight so quickly, but I think we have a champion in Sean Strickland that he believes matches up well with him, and it stylistically makes a lot of sense."
Catch Smith's comments below (3:50):
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