UFC light heavyweight Anthony “Lionheart” Smith is not pleased to miss out on a title shot. When Ankalaev vs Blachowicz at UFC 282 was declared a draw, Smith hoped to be next in line for the 205-pound strap. Instead, the next title fight will be between Jamahal Hill and Glover Teixeira, with Smith discussing his disappointment in a recent episode of The MMA Hour.
“I’m not trying to pretend that I’ve got a terrible life or whatever, but I’ve just been on the wrong end of it for awhile.
Anthony Smith “Angry” To Miss Title Shot
Since the [Ryan] Spann fight, it’s been nothing but terrible s*** happening. I had to have surgery after the Spann fight, then the staph infection, then I battled back from that and right when camp starts my mom dies, then I battle through the training camp, then I break my ankle in the [Magomed] Ankalaev fight when I felt like it was going well, and then surgery, then I battled back from that, and I thought the Jamahal Hill thing was going good, I was starting to get to a positive place, dealing with the loss of my mom and other personal stuff, I just battled through it, and personally, I was really starting to turn the corner and getting to be in a really positive spot, and then this happens.
It wasn’t directed at anybody specifically, because I understand all parties involved. I understand their positions and everyone has to do what they have to do, but I was really angry.
It’s not directed at any individual person, and that’s the worst part. I’m just angry. Some of it’s at life, some of it’s at circumstance, some of it’s at myself, but I’m not mad at Jamahal, I’m not mad at the UFC. It just sucks.”
Smith is mostly just annoyed not to get the chance to face Jamahal Hill, an opponent he has been looking forward to fighting for some time.
“It was just that I lost the fight. That I lost the fight. Jamahal’s on a run, he’s streaking, it’s a fantastic opponent, I like Jamahal. I was kind of pumped. I get to go in there and I get to fight someone that I actually really like. There’s no bulls***, there’s no drama, there’s no trash talk, we just go in there and we do the damn thing and the cards fall where they fall. I was really excited about that. And then it would have put me into a really good spot.”
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