Tag: Anthony Smith

Michael Bisping brutally honest with Anthony Smith on facing Khalil Rountree on short notice: ‘You gained nothing’

Michael Bisping didn’t hold back when advising his good friend Anthony Smith on how to handle his career.

[autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] didn’t hold back when advising his good friend [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] on how to handle his career.

Smith (37-19 MMA, 12-9 UFC) stepped in on two weeks’ notice to face Khalil Rountree (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) in the UFC Fight Night 233 co-main event this past December. He was stopped by third-round TKO.

Bisping can’t understand why Smith opted to take the fight. He saw it as a high risk, low reward move.

“I’m happy to hear that you still want to fight, but if you want to fight, you’ve got to be a little more meticulous about it, if you don’t mind me saying,” Bisping said on his “Believe You Me” podcast. “I’ll be honest: I said it when we watched the fight on the live (broadcast), and I didn’t want to go into it because it’s like I was betraying you or whatever. I hated it. I was on a walk – I think it was Thanksgiving day when I got the message – and I found out you were fighting. I hated it.

“I f*cking hated it. I didn’t understand it. You’re a fighter, 100 percent, and you’ve got balls of steel. You’re like, ‘F*ck it, let’s go. I can do this.’ I think with the trend lately of people stepping up on short notice, Tom Aspinall going out there and doing it, and Volkanovski stepping up. All right, he lost. But it’s been kind of a thing, people stepping up on short notice. You only really do that when there’s something worth risking it for. I did it, but that was a title fight. I didn’t understand it because you gained nothing from that.”

Smith admitted that his ego got in the way, and his pride wasn’t going to let him turn down the opportunity. “Lionheart” was criticized in the past by Daniel Cormier for not taking the disqualification win in his title fight vs. Jon Jones when he was illegally kneed in the head.

Moving forward, Bisping urged Smith to be more mindful of his decisions.

“You’ve just got to be more professional with it, as you say, in between camps with your weight and stuff like that leading up to fights and just making the correct choices,” Bisping said. “I would love to see you fight on a full camp against Khalil – and we can’t take away from Khalil’s performance. He did tremendous. But the purpose of a fight camp is not only to get you in shape, it’s to get you mentally ready, as well.”

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Anthony Smith knew fighting Khalil Rountree on short notice was an ‘uphill battle’: ‘It was shocking how fast he is’

Anthony Smith was fully aware that facing Khalil Rountree on short notice wasn’t ideal.

[autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] was fully aware that facing [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] on short notice wasn’t ideal.

Smith (37-19 MMA, 12-9 UFC) replaced Azamat Murzakanov on two weeks’ notice against Rountree (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) in the UFC Fight Night 233 co-main event. He was stopped by TKO less than a minute into Round 3.

“Lionheart” took a risk fighting a dangerous, lower-ranked opponent on short notice, but he knew that going in.

“I knew I was in an uphill battle,” Smith said on the “Believe You Me” podcast. “I knew the position I put myself in was not going to benefit me. I knew that I would kind of put myself behind the gun, and I was fine with that. I knew exactly what I was getting myself into, and I knew what I was up against. I had quite a bit of weight to cut. That was the bigger issue.”

Other than the weight cut, Smith explains that he had issues seeing the left hand in practice, which ended up being a problem for him in the fight.

“He was just way faster than I had anticipated,” Smith said. “I knew he was going to be fast. It was shocking how fast he is, how he goes from 0-100 so fast. I struggled with the speed in the fight, and I didn’t really have any other options.

“I wasn’t seeing the left hand. He was faster than I was, and he was faster than I prepared for. Some of that is I wasn’t in fight shape. I was seeing things, but my body just wasn’t reacting fast enough because I haven’t been in camp, and that’s no excuse. That’s my fault. I put myself in that position. I knew it was a possibility.”

Although Smith was on a two-fight winning streak prior to the loss, he admits self-doubt started creeping in after getting stopped by Rountree. However, the former title challenger has no intentions of walking away.

“I still want to fight,” Smith said. “I’m not going anywhere. It’s probably the worst loss I’ve ever taken. If I had more time, or I was in better shape, or I had a whole training camp, or a lot of things are different, I think the whole thing looks different. I don’t think I aged overnight. I think I put myself in a tough spot.”

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UFC Fight Night 233 post-event facts: Khalil Rountree inches closer to Chuck Liddell’s KO record

Check out all the facts from UFC Fight Night 233, which saw Khalil Rountree move closer to Chuck Liddell’s longstanding knockout record.

There’s just one event left on the UFC’s 2023 schedule after UFC Fight Night 233 came to a conclusion on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

An underwhelming lineup fell in the shadow of UFC 296 this weekend, and the main event wasn’t particularly memorable as [autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] (21-7-1 MMA, 10-2-1 UFC) proved to be too much for [autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag] (20-6-2 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) in their bantamweight matchup en route to a unanimous decision win.

For more on the numbers to come out of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts about UFC Fight Night 233.

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UFC Fight Night 233 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $22 million

UFC Fight Night 233 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 233 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $159,500

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 Fight Night 233 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 233 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

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[autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Nasrat Haqparast[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Jamie Mullarkey[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Tim Elliott[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Su Mudaerji[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Andre Muniz[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Junyong Park[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Kevin Jousset[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Song Kenan[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]HyunSung Park[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Shannon Ross[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Steve Garcia[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Melquizael Costa[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Luana Santos[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Stephanie Egger[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Tatsuro Taira[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Carlos Hernandez[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Talita Alencar[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Rayanne Amanda[/autotag]: $4,000

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 2331 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 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $7,848,500
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $22,367,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 233.

UFC Fight Night 233 play-by-play and live results

Check out live play-by-play and official results from UFC Fight Night 233 in Las Vegas with Song Yadong vs. Chris Gutierrez.

LAS VEGAS – UFC Fight Night 233 took place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streamed on ESPN+.

In the main event, Song Yadong (21-7-1 MMA, 10-2-1 UFC) took on Chris Gutierrez (20-5-2 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) in a bantamweight clash. In the light heavyweight co-feature, former title challenger Anthony Smith (37-19 MMA, 12-9 UFC) met Khalil Rountree (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC).

You also can get behind-the-scenes coverage and other event notes from on-site reporter Ken Hathaway (@1khathaway) on X.

Check out the full event play-by-play, results, and more below.

Social media reacts to Khalil Rountree holding back in TKO of Anthony Smith at UFC Fight Night 233

The MMA community reacted to Khalil Rountree holding back from smashing Anthony Smith in his TKO win at UFC Fight Night 233.

[autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag]’s winning streak now has a signature name on it after he beat [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] on Saturday in the UFC Fight Night 233 headliner.

Rountree (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) extended his streak to five consecutive fights in the light heavyweight division, and there’s no more established figure on that list after his third-round TKO victory over Smith (37-19 MMA, 12-9 UFC) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Check below for the top X (formerly Twitter) reactions to Rountree’s victory over Smith at UFC Fight Night 233.

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UFC Fight Night 233 video: Khalil Rountree wobbles Anthony Smith, wins by TKO, calls for Alex Pereira title fight

Khalil Rountree is now on a career-best five-fight winning streak after defeating Anthony Smith at UFC Fight Night 233 – and now he wants a title shot.

[autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] got the signature win he’s been wanting to add to his resume Saturday after defeating former light heavyweight title challenger [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] in the UFC Fight Night 233 co-main event.

Rountree (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) saw his career-best streak reach five when he beat Smith (37-19 MMA, 12-9 UFC) by third-round TKO at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

“The War Horse” once again made the difference with his power and striking technique as he managed to hurt Smith multiple times before dropping him for the finish 56 seconds into Round 3. Afterward, Rountree called for a title shot against reigning 205-pound kingpin Alex Pereira.

“I came in with high hopes I would have a good performance,” Rountree said in his post-fight interview with Paul Felder. “Las Vegas is the home of the UFC. And in my mind I feel like it’s time to have a champion at home. I’m in the top 10 now and the only thing that I want to do is fight Alex Pereira. I know that I have other people that I have to possibly fight, but I know that’s a fight the fans would want to see. I think that from what I’ve seen, the fans would love to see that fight.”

Smith pushed to the middle of the cage to begin Round 1. However, Rountree got a read quickly and started landing some powerful shots. Smith stayed composed and found him moments to counter, but Rountree significantly tested his chin on multiple occasions.

The momentum for Rountree continued into Round 2. He wobbled Smith with a huge punch early in the round then settled in to a persistent flow of punches and kicks. Smith continued to push forward and pressure Rountree, but failed to land anything clean enough to meaningfully alter the flow of the action.

In the third, Rountree loaded up with a slick uppercut, left hand combination that once again sent Smith wobbling back. This time he dropped, and while Rountree stood over him threatening a hammerfist, the referee stopped in and waved it off.

With the result, Rountree, who entered the fight No. 12 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie light heavyweight rankings, can expect forward movement into the top 10 of the weight class. The 33-year-old hasn’t tasted defeat since January 2021, but had never got open the hump of four-straight wins previously in his career. Now that has changed.

Smith, meanwhile, fell short after stepping in on 15 days’ notice as a replacement to fight Rountree. “Lionheart” is now 1-3 in his past four fights dating back to July 2022.

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Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 233 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 233.

Daniel Cormier: Anthony Smith ‘let pride get in the way,’ should have taken DQ win vs. Jon Jones

Daniel Cormier thinks Anthony Smith should have just claimed the disqualification win in his title fight vs. Jon Jones. 

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] should have just claimed the disqualification win in his title fight vs. [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag].

Smith (37-18 MMA, 12-8 UFC) was illegally kneed by then-light heavyweight champion Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) in their title fight at UFC 235 in March 2019. Smith elected to continue fighting, and lost the fight by unanimous decision despite Jones being deducted two points.

Cormier argues that Smith would have financially positioned himself in a great spot if he took the win over Jones, which would have set up an inevitable immediate rematch. He pointed to Aljamain Sterling as an example, when he was rendered unable to continue after absorbing an illegal knee in his title fight vs. Petr Yan. Sterling won the rematch and went on to defend the bantamweight title a UFC record three times.

“That’s when Anthony was like, ‘You know what, man, if I just sit here, and I don’t do this no more, there’s a possibility for me to get all this money and come back as the champ’ – and then his pride got in the way,” Cormier said on a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience.

“And he got up there and he finished the fight. He was down three rounds to one at that time, and he fought, and I thought it was a mistake because he took an illegal knee. It is what it is. Jones got deducted a point, and still won the fight comfortably. That’s how much he was ahead. He got a two-point deduction, and still won.”

Smith has since gone 5-4. He returns to action in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 233 co-main event against Khalil Rountree (12-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 233.

Anthony Smith: ‘Jon Jones can do whatever the f*ck he wants,’ shouldn’t be stripped of UFC title

Anthony Smith disagrees with those calling for Jon Jones to be stripped of his UFC heavyweight title.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] disagrees with those calling for [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] to be stripped of the UFC heavyweight title.

Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) was forced to pull out of his first title defense against Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 when he tore his pectoral muscle. The promotion booked an interim title fight between Tom Aspinall and Sergei Aspinall instead, where Aspinall claimed the interim belt by first-round knockout.

With Jones expected to be sidelined for months, Aspinall said he should be stripped of his belt. But Smith, a former opponent of Jones and analyst for ESPN, says an all-time great like “Bones” has earned the right to keep his title.

“You all know how I feel about Jon Jones,” Smith told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “I hate when you guys ask me questions where I have to say nice things about him. Jon Jones can do whatever the f*ck he wants. Really. He’s earned that.

“He’s not been known as a guy that pulls out of fights. For whatever anybody says about him, he’s never strayed from a challenge. He’s always taken on the next best guy. I think in terms of him and Stipe, I think both those guys should be able to do whatever they want. I think that they’ve earned it. I think that they deserve it.”

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Miocic is widely considered the greatest heavyweight of all time. UFC CEO Dana White said the plan is to rebook Jones vs. Miocic, and Smith, who lost to Jones by unanimous decision at UFC 235 in March 2019, thinks a matchup of that magnitude should remain intact.

“Do we really want to miss another super fight?” Smith said. “How long did we talk about Anderson Silva and GSP (St-Pierre)? Anderson and Jon Jones, and Khabib (Nurmagomedov) and whoever. We’ve done this back-and-forth, we want all these super fights and now we have the opportunity for one and everyone’s calling for Jon to get stripped of his title.

“Let’s not f*ck this one up. Let’s just let him heal up. I know it makes absolutely no sense for there to be an interim champion and Jon to defend against someone who’s not, but we’re not like other sports. We can kind of change the rules sometimes and just give the fans and the people what they want.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 233.

Khalil Rountree sees UFC Fight Night 233 win over Anthony Smith elevating career ‘to another level’

Khalil Rountree believes a win over Anthony Smith would lead to his first-career UFC headliner.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] sees a win over [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] leading to his first-career UFC headliner.

Rountree (12-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) meets Smith (37-18 MMA, 12-8 UFC) in a light heavyweight bout that co-headlines Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 233 event at the UFC Apex. The card streams on ESPN+.

Currently riding a four-fight winning streak, Rountree could be on the cusp of landing his desired headlining spot if he beats former title challenger Smith.

“I’d imagine that it would bring me higher in the rankings. I’d imagine that it would bring a good wave of new fans and potential popularity,” Rountree told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “I think it just helps my career elevate to another level or stage. The fact that this fight is co-main event is a great warm-up to a main event and being able to, I guess, even be worthy of having a main event.”

Rountree was originally scheduled to face rising undefeated contender Azamat Murzakanov, but Murzakanov withdrew and was replaced by Smith, whom Rountree admits is a bigger opportunity.

“I believe so, yeah,” Rountree said. “I can say that honestly. Yeah, it did excite me a little bit more only because I’ve had past conversations about this potential matchup, maybe one or two fights from now or something like that. So, the name has definitely come up in the past as far as just what to aim for and reaching for a title shot.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 233.