"It was shocking how fast he is" - Anthony Smith's candid reflection on suffering brutal KO loss against Khalil Rountree
Anthony Smith ended his year with a vicious third-round TKO loss to Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC Fight Night 233. 'Lionheart' stepped in on two weeks' notice following Azamat Murzakanov's withdrawal after contracting pneumonia.
Speaking to Michael Bisping on the Believe You Me podcast, the No.10-ranked light heavyweight revealed that he knew he was facing an uphill battle taking the short-notice bout against a tough opponent before adding that he struggled with the speed of 'The War Horse'. Smith said:
"We had to change the gameplan in ten days so we went from having no fight to a gameplan to three days into a ten day preparation, I have to change it because I'm not seeing it. I was getting f**king tattooed with it in practice. It was working and then I went into the fight and he was just way faster than I had anticipated. I knew he was going to be fast, but it was shocking how fast he is, how he goes from 0 to 100 so fast."
Smith continued:
"I struggled with the speed in the fight, and I didn't really have any other options. I wasn't seeing the left hand. He was faster than I was, and he was faster than I was prepared for. Some of that is I wasn't in fight shape. I was seeing things, but my body just wasn't reacting fast enough because I haven't been in camp, and that's no excuse. That's my fault. I put myself in that position. I knew it was a possibility."
Check out Anthony Smith's comments on his loss to Khalil Rountree Jr. below (starting at the 5:11 mark):
While the first two rounds of the bout were closely contested, all three judges awarded both rounds to Rountree. The scorecards were not needed, however, as the No.8-ranked light heavyweight landed a vicious combination to put Smith away.
Anthony Smith reveals that he is not considering retirement
Following his UFC Fight Night 233 loss to Khalil Rountree Jr., many speculated that Anthony Smith could consider retirement. However, the former light heavyweight title challenger revealed that he still wants to compete. Speaking to Michael Bisping on the Believe You Me podcast, 'Lionheart' stated:
"I still want to fight. I'm not going anywhere. It's probably the worst loss I've ever taken. I feel like if I had more time, or I was in better shape, or I had a whole training camp, or a lot of things are different, I think the whole thing looks different. I don't think I aged overnight. I think I put myself in a tough spot."
Check out Anthony Smith's comments on retirement below (starting at the 14:52 mark):
Smith noted that he was in a dark place following the loss, which included second-guessing his career. It appears, however, that he is not ready to hang his gloves up.