Anthony Smith Outlines His Path To A LHW Title Shot

Coming off a reduction and acquiring a title shot previous calendar year, it could seem that Anthony Smith is out of the light heavyweight title image, but all that can adjust by night’s stop this Saturday.

Anthony “Lionheart” Smith will take on Aleksandar Rakic in the UFC Struggle Night 175 key occasion Saturday, August 29 from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. On the surface, it is a flamable light-weight heavyweight bout amongst two combatants who have a knack for finishes. But according to one fifty percent of the most important party, Anthony Smith, there is far more to the bout than what satisfies the eye.

“I think we’re gonna have a significant opportunity coming our way afterwards,” Smith instructed MMA on Sirius XM. “The division type of…it’s opened up, certainly, a good deal. There is a great deal of fascinating matchups that we’re likely to be speaking about.”

With the gentleman who efficiently defended the mild heavyweight championship against him, Jon Jones, now out of the image and with Anthony Smith nevertheless ranked in the leading 5 in the division, Smith thinks Saturday’s major function has title ramifications attached it.

“A title shot. A title shot, Smith said when requested what’s at stake in Saturday’s principal event. “I assume that, definitely, a loss sets me way back, but a get places me appropriate again into title rivalry. I’m likely going to have to gain one particular more, which is why that Thiago Santos-Glover Teixeira struggle is so interesting to me.

“Not only do I get to avenge or have the option to avenge 1 of my losses…because I have bought losses to both equally of those guys…those are each fights that I would appreciate to have again. So that is huge. And then you conquer one of those people fellas, there’s no 1 else in entrance of me. That opens all the things broad. That opens all the things up, so it’s a big a single.”

This large a single will choose put Saturday at UFC Fight Night time 175, which will air reside and completely on ESPN+.

Do you believe Anthony Smith will ever receive a light-weight heavyweight title shot once more?

This article 1st appeared on MMANews.com on 8/26/2020.