"Puts the nail in the coffin" - Anthony Smith believes UFC 303 loss signals end of his title aspirations against Alex Pereira
UFC light heavyweight Anthony Smith has weighed in on the possibility of locking horns against Alex Pereira for the UFC title.
Smith recently had a conversation with former UFC fighter Din Thomas for MMA Today on SiriusXM. During it, 'Lionheart' admitted that after his loss at UFC 303, he will likely not get an opportunity to win the belt.
Smith mentioned how fighters like Michael Bisping and Glover Teixeira managed to win titles very late in their careers but argued that the same might not be the case for him:
"If we're being just honest here, that [loss] probably puts a nail in the coffin for my opportunity to ever win a title. There's chances. Obviously, there's the Bisping story and there's the [Dustin] Poirier resurgence and Glover... But I think that's probaby it [for me]. So, you look back at all the things I sacrificed and relationships that I lost and time with my kids and parties. All those experiences, to the child in me, the dude that's feeling sorry for himself, thinks it was all for nothing. And that's not really the case. I need to be an adult about it."
The 35-year-old added that although his decision to step in on short notice at UFC 303 proved to be financially fruitful, money was not the top priority in his MMA journey:
"Financially that was a home run... I'm just gonna be honest. On that front, I'm doing fine. But that's not what was always important to me... That's not what it was ever about."
Check out Anthony Smith's comments below:
Both Anthony Smith and Alex Pereira competed in short-notice fights at UFC 303
UFC 303 was originally supposed to be headlined by a thrilling clash between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler. After the fight fell through, Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka stepped up to fight for the light heavyweight title in the main event.
Pereira made light work of his opponent and knocked him out in the second round.
Anthony Smith also filled in for Jamahal Hill on short notice to fight Carlos Ulberg at UFC 303. However, the New Zealander dropped out of the fight and Roman Dolidze was brought in as a replacement.
'Lionheart' was outclassed by his opponent, losing the bout via unanimous decision.