Michael Bisping gets honest about Anthony Smith potentially retiring after UFC 310 loss: "He’s going to be embarrassed"
Despite Anthony Smith's emotional post-fight comments after losing to Dominick Reyes at UFC 310, former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping believes his career is far from over. Smith, who appeared distraught following the fight, hinted at retirement, citing the recent death of his coach, Scott Morton.
Bisping believes Smith's decision to fight while grieving was a mistake because it overshadowed his professional accomplishments. He emphasized that Smith's legacy should not be defined by this specific loss and urged him to return to the octagon with renewed focus and determination.
Speaking on his Believe You Me podcast, 'The Count' said:
"I understand his reasoning for that. Maybe to give him something to train for, a way to honor the memory of [Scott] or whatever the case may be, but people won’t remember that when they look back. I feel for Anthony. He gets paid very handsomely, so obviously there’s that."
He added:
“I don’t think he will retire. I think when he watches that back, he’s going to be embarrassed when he watches that, and that’s going to fuel him to want to come back and want to fight again. I’d like to see him fight again because I don’t believe that the world deserves to remember him like that. That wasn’t Anthony at his best.” [H/t: MMA Junkie]
Check out the full podcast episode below:
Dominick Reyes reveals that Anthony Smith purposely lowered his guard, asked to get punched
Dominick Reyes opened up about an emotional moment during his recent UFC 310 fight against Anthony Smith, where Smith made an unusual in-cage request. Reyes, who secured a second-round TKO victory on Dec. 7, revealed that Smith, struggling with the recent loss of his coach and teammate Scott Morton, asked him to punch him in the face during the first round.
Speaking in the post-fight presser, he said:
"There was a point in the first round when he put his hands down and was just like, 'Punch me in in the face.' And I obliged, right? So that's my job is to finish you and get you out of there."
Check out Dominick Reyes's comments on Anthony Smith's unusual in-cage request below (2:18):