Tag: Anthony Smith

Anthony Smith: UFC 303 loss ‘might’ve put the nail in the coffin on getting a title’

Anthony Smith doesn’t plan on retiring, but he’s also not sure how to proceed if another UFC title shot is no longer in play.

[autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] finds himself in a quandary after UFC 303.

Smith (38-20 MMA, 13-10 UFC) lost a unanimous decision to short-notice replacement Roman Dolidze (13-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) less than two weeks ago at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. “Lionheart” originally stepped in on short notice to replace Jamahal Hill against Carlos Ulberg, but Ulberg wound up withdrawing. In stepped Dolidze, who defeated Smith.

“There was almost a moment where I was kind of like, ‘What the f*ck am I doing here?'” Smith said on his “Believe You Me” podcast. “Not so much me, but why am I even in this position right now? I came here to fill in for Jamahal in a matchup that I really liked and that I was very familiar with because of training with Jamahal and helping him out.

“So, it didn’t feel new, but then all of a sudden it’s Dolidze, who I got a lot of respect for. I’ve been very high on Dolidze for a long time. It’s a stylistic nightmare for me. It’s shorter, stocky grappler with good striking. Those guys have always been my kryptonite, those double-threat guys.”

Smith has never backed down from a challenge in his quest to regain another light heavyweight title shot. But after alternating wins and losses in the past couple of years, he thinks that window has likely closed.

“Career trajectory-wise, I don’t know. That might’ve put the nail in the coffin on getting a title,” Smith said.

Smith vows to no longer take short-notice fights. He doesn’t plan on retiring but isn’t sure how to proceed if the title is no longer in play.

“I love fighting,” Smith said. “The problem I’m running into mentally is if I’m not doing it to win a title, am I costing myself more than it’s worth? That’s the crossroads that I’m at. It’s time away from my family, and that’s getting harder and harder.”

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UFC 303 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Alex Pereira leads card with $42,000

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 303 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $306,500.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 303 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $311,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC 303 took place at T-Mobile Arena. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

The full UFC 303 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Macy Chiasson[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Mayra Bueno Silva[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Joe Pyfer[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Marc-Andre Barriault[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Andre Fili[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Cub Swanson[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Jean Silva[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Charles Jourdain[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Payton Talbott[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Yanis Ghemmouri[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Gillian Robertson[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Michelle Waterson-Gomez[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Martin Buday[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Andrei Arlovski[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Rei Tsuruya[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Carlos Hernandez[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Vinicius Oliveira[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ricky Simon[/autotag]: $11,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $3,948,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $26,685,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 303.

UFC 303 results: Roman Dolidze gets short-notice nod over former title challenger Anthony Smith

Fighting on short notice in a higher weight class resulted in a skid-snapping win for Roman Dolidze at UFC 303 in Las Vegas.

[autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag] stepped up for a short-notice battle in a higher weight class and came away with a win.

Usually a middleweight competitor, Dolidze (13-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) offered his services to fill in against Anthony Smith at light heavyweight on the main card of UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. After 15 minutes, Dolidze earned a unanimous nod over Smith (38-20 MMA, 13-10 UFC) with scores of 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28.

Dolidze set the tone early with a series of kicks targeting Smith’s legs, body and head. While Smith pressured forward looking to land punches, Dolidze attacked with kicks targeting the lead leg. Smith added a few kicks of his own, but one that missed prompted a friendly taunt from Dolidze.

As the leg kick battle continued, heavy punches were added to the mix late in the round, although a few boos were heard as the fighters returned to their corners.

Round 2 picked up right where it left off, but a big moment occurred when Dolidze blitzed forward, causing Smith to stumble to the ground. Dolidze rained in heavy punches as Smith covered up, eventually leading to top ground control as he realized the finish wasn’t there.

Smith exploded to his feet with less than half a minute to go, looking to land a big haymaker. Instead, Dolidze landed nicely.

Dolidze broke out a dancing taunt early in Round 3 as Smith targeted his legs with kicks. Smith smiled and touched gloves with Dolidze after, and they returned to trading intermittent strikes.

More boos from the crowd poured in with two minutes left, and both fighters responded by offering a higher volume of punches for a moment. But the fight reached the final horn, and the crowd voiced more displeasure with the contest.

With the unanimous decision win, Dolidze snaps a two-fight losing skid. The Georgian entered this short-notice bout on the heels of a pair of decision losses to Marvin Vettori and Nassourdine Imavov.

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Up-to-the-minute UFC 303 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 303.

Roman Dolidze def. Anthony Smith at UFC 303: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Roman Dolidze’s unanimous decision win over Anthony Smith at UFC 303.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag]’s unanimous decision win over [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] at UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. (Fight and venue photos by Mark J. Rebilas and Per Haljestam, USA Today Sports)

UFC 303: Anthony Smith vs. Roman Dolidze odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s UFC 303 odds between Anthony Smith and Roman Dolidze, with MMA picks and predictions.

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In a 3-round light heavyweight bout on the main card, Anthony Smith and Roman Dolidze meet Saturday at UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the UFC 303: Smith vs. Dolidze odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.

The early prelims begin at 6 p.m. ET, and can be viewed on ESPN/ESPN+. The prelims begin 8 p.m. ET, also on ESPN/ESPN+, while the main card starts at 10 p.m. ET on pay-per-view.

Records: Smith (38-19-0) | Dolidze (12-3-0)

Smith picked up a 1st-round submission victory last time out at UFC 301 against Vitor Petrino. Despite the win, he has still lost 3 of his past 5 bouts.

Smith has ended up going the distance just twice in the past 8 events, with 3 submission wins, 2 KO/TKO losses, a split-decision win, a unanimous-decision loss and a TKO (doctor’s stoppage) win against Jimmy Crute at UFC 261.

The Georgian fighter Dolidze has lost back-to-back fights via decision to Nassourdine Imavov and Marvin Vettori. Prior to that he had 3 KO/TKO victories.

Both fighters are 35 years old, and each combatant has a 76-inch reach and orthodox stance. Smith holds a slight 3.23-to-2.62 significant strikes landed per minute advantage while also being slightly more accurate at 51.93%, to just 49.42% for Dolidze.

In addition, Dolidze does better work on the ground, posting a 1.30 takedown average and 40.91% takedown accuracy percentage, with a 1.30 submission average.

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UFC 303: Smith vs. Dolidze odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:15 p.m. ET.

  • Fight result (2-way line): Smith +115 (bet $100 to win $115) | Dolidze -140 (bet $140 to win $100)
  • Over/Under: 2.5 rounds (Over -115 | Under -115)
  • Will the fight go the distance? (Yes +110 | No -150)

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UFC 303: Smith vs. Dolidze picks and predictions

Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)

DOLIDZE (-140) is a solid play in this main card bout. Smith (+115) has been a little inconsistent lately, and he has suffered 5 losses in 10 bouts since May 2020. In 3 of those bouts, Smith was dropped via KO/TKO.

On the flip side, Dolidze is a knockout machine, topping Kyle Daukaus, Phil Hawes and Jack Hermansson via KO/TKO in 3 straight fights from June-December 2022.

Dolidze isn’t a bad play on the 2-way line straight up, but if you’re a little more adventurous, taking DOLIDZE BY KO/TKO, DQ OR SUBMISSION (+175) for the method of victory is certainly worth a roll of the dice, too, given the Georgian’s success via knockout.

Over/Under (O/U)

UNDER 2.5 ROUNDS (-115) is a strong play, as we’re calling the KO/TKO finish. Dolidze has ended up going past the midway point of Round 2 in 3 straight fights, so there is some risk here. In addition, Smith has ended up going the distance in each of his past 2 bouts.

However, Smith’s defense isn’t great at times, and Dolidze can end things quickly.

Without declaring a winner, you could also select the exact round the fight will end. ROUND 1 (+275) and ROUND 2 (+350) are good plays. If the fight ends in either round, you obviously lose one end, but you’re still ahead.

If you’re a little more conservative, NO (-150): WILL FIGHT GO THE DISTANCE? could be a strong play, too.

Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and us on Facebook.

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Anthony Smith vs. Roman Dolidze prediction, pick, start time, odds for UFC 303

Anthony Smith and Roman Dolidze both stepped up on short notice to fill in the UFC 303 main card. Will Dolidze’s size disadvantage matter?

[autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag] meet Saturday on the main card of UFC 303 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom. 

Last event: 3-2
UFC main cards, 2024: 52-49-2

Anthony Smith vs. Roman Dolidze UFC 303 preview

Former light heavyweight title challenger Smith (38-19 MMA, 13-9 UFC) steps up on short notice and finds himself sharing the cage with a middleweight. This will be Smith’s second fight of the year, and he will look to make it back-to-back wins following a first-round submission of Vitor Petrino at UFC 301 in May. If successful, it will be the first time “Lionheart” has won consecutively since 2021. … Dolidze (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) is the other half of this short-notice affair. The middleweight goes up in weight for this event, looking to halt a two-fight skid. Dolidze ended up on the wrong side of the judges’ scorecards against Nassourdine Imavov in February and Marvin Vettori last March.

Anthony Smith vs. Roman Dolidze UFC 303 expert pick, prediction

Despite stepping in to save an aborted co-main event between Jamahal Hill and Carlos Ulberg (that was originally slated to be Hill vs. Khalil Rountree), Smith now finds himself in an impromptu matchup at 205 pounds with UFC middleweight, Dolidze.

Even though Smith is no stranger to stepping in on short notice, Dolidze provides a unique challenge regardless of weight class.

An unpredictable wildman by nature, Dolidze is deceptively agile for his size and comes with a plethora of opportunistic submissions in his back pocket.

Smith may be a skilled Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, but he’ll need to respect the danger that Dolidze presents. That said, I can’t help but side with the veteran in this spot.

Aside from the fact that Dolidze lacks a reliable process to produce replicable wins, the native of Georgia appears to tire as fights wear on (even when on a full camp).

Add in the fact that Nassourdine Imavov was able to hurt Dolidze badly with a combination that resembled some of the finishes that Smith scored over UFC middleweights in the past, I’ll side with “Lionheart” to produce a semi-surprising stoppage in Round 3.

Anthony Smith vs. Roman Dolidze UFC 303 odds

The oddsmakers and the public are favoring the Georgian fighter, listing Dolidze -146 and Smith +114 via FanDuel.

Anthony Smith vs. Roman Dolidze UFC 303 start time, how to watch

As the feature main card bout, Smith and Dolidze are expected to make their walks to the cage at approximately 11:15 p.m. ET (8:15 p.m. local time in Las Vegas). The fight streams live on ESPN+ pay-per-view.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 303.

UFC 303 full pre-fight press conference faceoffs: Ortega vs. Lopes, Garry vs. MVP, more

The UFC 303 press conference faceoffs went down Thursday with Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes, and Ian Machado Garry vs. Michael Page and more.

LAS VEGAS – Stars of UFC 303 came face-to-face for the first time on fight week Thursday following the pre-fight press conference.

With the 12th annual International Fight Week festivities ramping into high gear, fighters took the stage to answer questions from the media and then faced off for the first time ahead of the event which takes place at T-Mobile Arena and airs on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

In addition to the Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka 2 light heavyweight title headliner, the remaining main card matchups of [autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag], [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag], [autotag]Mayra Bueno Silva[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Macy Chiasson[/autotag] and [autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] were also in attendance and participated in staredowns.

Watch the video above to see the full press conference faceoffs ahead of UFC 303.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 303.

REPLAY: ‘UFC 303: Pereira vs. Prochazka 2’ pre-fight press conference video stream

The entire UFC 303 main card, including Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka, will attend Thursday’s pre-fight press conference in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – The UFC 303 pre-fight press conference takes place Thursday, and MMA Junkie will have a live stream of the event beginning at 6 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PT).

The entire main card will be in attendance, including [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] and [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag], who rematch for the light heavyweight title in the main event, as well as the remaining matchups of [autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag], [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag], [autotag]Mayra Bueno Silva[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Macy Chiasson[/autotag] and [autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag].

UFC 303 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena. The main card airs on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 303.

Anthony Smith rips light heavyweights for declining to fight him at UFC 303

With a middleweight stepping up to fight him at UFC 303, Anthony Smith gave the light heavyweight division a piece of his mind.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] took aim at the light heavyweight division for not stepping up to fight him at UFC 303.

After Carlos Ulberg was forced out due to injury, Smith (38-19 MMA, 13-9 UFC) drew middleweight Roman Dolidze (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) on Saturday’s main card (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The former title challenger is surprised that Dolidze, who competed at 185 pounds for his past seven fights, is the one stepping up to take the fight.

“As far as impact goes, I think him moving up says a lot about my division,” Smith told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “So, if you guys want to do your jobs, go ask every available light heavyweight why there’s a middleweight fighting this fight. They’re going to make up a bunch of sh*t, but I think you guys can read between the lines.

“Every single one of them said no. So, I’m the veteran, I’m the gatekeeper, like whatever those guys say. ‘Well, why is Anthony getting paid so much and why does he get this opportunity?’ Because I’m willing to do this sh*t that you guys won’t do. Me fighting a middleweight on Saturday proves that to everybody. I think all those guys just got exposed.”

Nonetheless, Smith is looking forward to fighting Dolidze.

“It’s hard to not want to fight a guy like Dolidze, and I mean that with the utmost respect,” Smith said. “He’s an absolute dog. He brings the fight; you don’t have to convince him to fight. He’s got a great skillset, I think his style mends well with mine. It meshes well with mine where we can – I think we’re going to have a goddamn barnburner.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 303.

How to buy tickets to UFC 303 in Las Vegas

Catch all the UFC action in person this Saturday in Las Vegas. Limited tickets remain for as little as $246.

UFC 303 will be running it back in Las Vegas this weekend.

Ultimate fighting returns to T-Mobile Arena and will be headlined by light heavyweights Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka.

The fight is a promising bout that replaces another. Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler was originally scheduled to headline 303’s card. But after McGregor suffered an injury during training, we have a switch.

SHOP: UFC 303 tickets

Pereira and Prochazka did battle at UFC 295 in Madison Square Garden for the then-vacant UFC light heavyweight title. Pereira took it with a TKO.

In addition to Pereira and Prochazka, Brian Ortega and Diego Lopes will fight while Carlos Ulberg will now face former contender Anthony Smith.

You won’t want to miss all this UFC action, and limited tickets still remain for as little as $246.

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