Tag: Anthony Smith

Callout Collection: Who UFC on ESPN+ 23 winners want next – and how likely they’ll get them

“The Korean Zombie”, Volkan Oezdemir and Charles Jourdain were among those with specific names in mind for their next fight after UFC on ESPN+ 23.

Earning wins in the UFC is certainly no easy task, but what comes next is often even more important: the post-fight callout.

So after Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 23 event in Busan, South Korea, who took advantage of their time on the mic? See below for this week’s Callout Collection – and just how realistic each one is.

* * * * *

First up, let’s take a look at the night’s prelim winners.

Alexandre Pantoja

Wants to fight:[autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] (for the UFC flyweight title)

The callout: “I think that I’m the next in line for the title. I’ve shown it many times. Maybe it wasn’t my day in that fight (at UFC 240) against Deiveson, but I know I can come back better. My team and I we went over that fight many times. We analyzed it and saw what I could improve. There is always room for improvement, and I’m striving for perfection. I really hope Deiveson wins, and we are able to run it back, this time for the title.”

The reality: The UFC’s flyweight division is wide open once again following Henry Cejudo’s decision to relinquish the 125-pound title, and the crowning of a new champion when Figueiredo and Joseph Benavidez meet on Feb. 29 will mark the beginning of a new era for the division.

Pantoja is certainly within touching distance of a title shot, but may actually be better off hoping for a Benavidez win, especially considering the recent form of the division’s other top contender, Jussier Formiga.

Formiga’s last outing saw him lose to Benavidez, which would seemingly give Pantoja a stronger case for the next shot if Benavidez captures the belt. But prior to that defeat, Formiga defeated Figueiredo which, you would assume, would make his case for the first shot more compelling if his fellow countryman wins the title in Norfolk.

[opinary poll=”how-interested-are-you-in-seeing-alexand-Xzdm” customer=”mmajunkie”]

Next up, let’s check out the main card.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2

Off Guard: Anthony Smith unsure of next assignment, hopes for eventual Jon Jones title rematch

UFC light heavyweight contender Anthony “Lionheart” Smith says he wants another shot at the 205-pound title, preferably against Jon Jones.

One of the bonus success stories of fight week at UFC 245 was the Quintet Ultra event that took place this past Thursday night at the Red Rock Resort Casino in Las Vegas. It saw a host of stars from the UFC, Strikeforce, WEC and PRIDE go head-to-head in a light-hearted but highly-competitive team grappling competition on UFC Fight Pass.

The event was eventually won by Team UFC, led by current UFC light heavyweight contender [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag], and “Lionheart” sat down for an impromptu chat with MMA Junkie Radio’s “Gorgeous” George Garcia the following day to chat Quintet, media punditry and his hopes for his own fighting career.

“I think this is going to age really well,” said Smith, as he reflected on his busman’s holiday at Quintet Ultra. “I keep saying it over and over, but in a couple of years, we’re going to look back at this, and I think it’s going to be a big deal; I really do.”

There was a real spirit of fun that permeated throughout the competition, with banter flying both within and between the teams as the unique mix of retired veterans, young prospects and seasoned vets came together to form teams representing four of the most iconic MMA organizations in the sport’s history.

[lawrence-related id=469630,469400]

Although the event was clearly a lot of fun for the fighters, Smith (32-14 MMA, 8-4 UFC) admitted the competitive juices were flowing strongly not just on event night, but also the day before, as Team UFC planned their running order for the night.

“There was a lot of strategy,” Smith said. “That was one of the coolest parts. These are four guys that I haven’t spent a lot of time with. I haven’t spent a lot of time with ‘Rumble’ (Johnaon) or Clay Guida or (Sean) O’Malley. It was a lot of fun, and just getting ready in the back, it was like fun competition with no stress. But we were here to win. We really were. It’s a lot of fun, but we were here to win.”

Smith, who has also been spending time as a pundit on ESPN and on radio, says his time in the media is helping make him a “smarter fighter” ahead of his octagon return in 2020. And the Colorado-based Texan says he has been pushing hard to lock in a date for his next outing.

“I’ve been all over the UFC, man,” he explained. “A lot of it is a date and location problem. March-April is where we’re looking. Obviously Glover (Teixeira) and I have been here together all week. He’s in. I’m in. It’s just a case of what the UFC wants.

“There’s a couple of other matches I know people have got their eyes on. There’s the Volkan (Oezdemir)-(Aleksandar) Rakic fight, and I know Rakic is going to get jammed down my throat if he beats Volkan. There’s this Corey Anderson thing going on. I don’t know if they want me to fight around that time in case something happens with that fight and the title fight, too. So I think there’s going to be some jockeying that’s gonna go on, and then there’s a lot of dates and locations. It’s where they want to put me, and when.”

[opinary poll=”how-interested-would-you-be-in-a-jon-jon” customer=”mmajunkie”]

And although Smith may not be sure of his next assignment, he knows who he eventually wants to face inside the octagon in 2020 as he plots his path back to the title and the man who stands between him and the gold.

“I want it to be (Jon) Jones,” he said. “No matter what, I’m going for the gold. But if I had a preference, I want it to be Jon Jones. I want to right that wrong, and I really believe I was a shell of myself when I was in there and there was some other stuff that goes along with that, but I’m not going to make excuses. But it wasn’t me in there, and I want my chance to go in there. If I go in there and give it everything I’ve got and feel like this is the best I had, and he beats me, that’s just life sometimes. Sometimes you’ve got that one dude you just can’t beat, but I don’t think that’s Jon Jones.”

[jwplayer 8MILCG5Z-RbnemIYZ]

Quintet Ultra lineups set, include Sean O’Malley vs. Takanori Gomi, Chad Mendes vs. ‘JZ’ Cavalcante

The lineups are set for Thursday’s Quintet Ultra team grappling event, and the opening matchups include a few intriguing contests.

The lineups are set for Thursday’s Quintet Ultra team grappling event, and the opening matchups include a few intriguing contests.

Weigh-ins for the event took place Wednesday at Red Rock Casino Resort in Las Vegas, with each five-member team expected to weigh-in under 950 pounds combined. That didn’t prove an issue, with Team WEC registering 947.2 pounds, Team Strikeforce just behind at 946.6 pounds, Team UFC at 942.2 pounds and Team PRIDE the smallest at 936.6 pounds.

Featuring a unique 5-on-5 team grappling concept where the winning grappler of each match stays on the mat, Quintet Ultra takes place Thursday at the same venue and streams live on UFC Fight Pass.

In the opening round of the tournament, Team UFC takes on Team PRIDE, while Team WEC vs. Team Strikeforce.

Team UFC will send out fast-rising bantamweight prospect [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] as their first representative, while Team PRIDE counters with former PRIDE lightweight champ [autotag]Takanori Gomi[/autotag].

On the other side of the bracket, Team WEC is starting with three-time UFC title challenger [autotag]Chad Mendes[/autotag], while Team Strikeforce opens with two-time K-1 HERO’s middleweight grand prix champion and former Titan FC lightweight champ [autotag]Gesias Cavalcante[/autotag], the man best known as “JZ.”

In each match, the winning grappler stays on to take on the next representative from the opposing team. In case of a draw, both fighters are eliminated.

The two winning teams from the opening round matchups meet in the finals to close out the night.

Full team orders include:

TEAM UFC

1. Sean O’Malley
2. [autotag]Anthony Johnson[/autotag]
3. [autotag]Clay Guida[/autotag]
4. [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] (captain)
5. [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag]

vs.

TEAM PRIDE

1. Takanori Gomi
2. [autotag]Hector Lombard[/autotag]
3. [autotag]Gregor Gracie[/autotag]
4. [autotag]Yves Edwards[/autotag]
5. [autotag]Kazushi Sakuraba[/autotag] (captain)

TEAM WEC

1. Chad Mendes (captain)
2. [autotag]Mark Munoz[/autotag]
3. [autotag]Cub Swanson[/autotag]
4. [autotag]Glover Teixeira[/autotag]
5. [autotag]James Krause[/autotag]

vs.

TEAM STRIKEFORCE

1. Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante
2. [autotag]Jake Shields[/autotag]
3. [autotag]Muhammed Lawal[/autotag]
4. [autotag]Gilbert Melendez[/autotag] (captain)
5. [autotag]Renato Sobral[/autotag]

Anthony Smith: Corey Anderson fighting Jan Blachowicz instead of me ‘probably the smart move’

Anthony Smith thinks Corey Anderson chose the easier route, but at least the back-and-forth trash talk has been fun.

WASHINGTON – [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Corey Anderson [/autotag] chose the easier path to a title shot.

Anderson is slated to headline UFC Rio Rancho on Feb. 15 in what is being dubbed a No. 1 contender fight vs. [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag].

Smith (32-14 MMA, 8-4 UFC), who challenged Jon Jones for the title earlier this year, has been calling out Anderson for a while now. But instead Anderson (13-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) will rematch Blachowicz, whom he already beat in 2015.

“Honestly, he’s easy to talk (expletive) to. He talks like he’s got a flip-flop in his mouth, and his analogies don’t make any sense, so it’s fun too,” Smith told MMA Junkie. “He’s a fun guy to go back and forth with, which is why I was hoping we would fight. That would be a really fun build-up, but I think he took the easier route, which, if we’re looking at career trajectories, it’s probably the smart move.”

[lawrence-related id=469400]

After taking out Johnny Walker in the first round at UFC 244, Anderson demanded a title shot, but he’ll have to take at least one more step before he gets his wish. He received quite a bit of criticism for his choice of words from UFC president Dana White, and Smith thinks Anderson is acting entitled.

“So he’s talking about all these things that he thinks he deserves, and he’s mad at me. He’s mad at Thiago Santos because we came in the division – I came in the division and had three fights and got a title fight,” Smith said. “Corey Anderson has been in the division his entire career and hasn’t even sniffed a title shot yet. I understand why he’s upset about that, but that’s not my fault. He needs to be mad at himself.”

[lawrence-related id=469415,469432]

Another thing that rubs Smith the wrong way is Anderson’s comments towards Jones and how his recent wins have come over former middleweights. Smith is one of those fighters to fall short, but he was a pretty big 185 pounder, which is why he thinks Anderson’s comments aren’t relevant.

“He turned me down a couple of times on my way up, and you know, it is what it is. I’m used to it by now; lots of people turn me down,” Smith said. “But then he not only turned down the fight with me, then he would do interviews talking trash about Jon’s out here beating middleweights, and Anthony Smith is just a middleweight. Listen, I’m not just a middleweight anymore. Not only was I the biggest middleweight in the division, I’m not the smallest 205’er. So, I don’t know where he’s going with that, but it’s a really silly dig at me, and it’s not what he’s saying, it’s the point he’s trying to make.”

[jwplayer 8MILCG5Z-RbnemIYZ]

Quintet Ultra: Full UFC, PRIDE, WEC, Strikeforce rosters revealed ahead of Thursday’s event

UFC vs. PRIDE vs. WEC vs. Strikeforce? The full rosters have been announced for Thursday’s event.

Who would have won a team battle between the UFC, PRIDE, WEC, and Strikeforce? Quintet is hopping in a time machine to take fans back to an era when this question could be answered.

On Thursday, one of the world’s most unique grappling tournaments will return with Quintet Ultra. The openweight elimination challenge takes place at Red Rock Casino Resort in Las Vegas and streams on UFC Fight Pass.

The event will see four teams compromised of five fighters – each team tied to a respective promotion. On Monday, full rosters and first-round team pairings were announced, with Team UFC taking on Team PRIDE and Team WEC vs. Team Strikeforce.

The teams are as follows:

Team UFC

  • [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] (captain): former UFC light heavyweight title challenger, current UFC light heavyweight contender, WSOF veteran
  • [autotag]Anthony Johnson[/autotag]: former UFC light heavyweight title challenger
  • [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag]: Dana White’s Contender Series signee, undefeated UFC bantamweight
  • [autotag]Clay Guida[/autotag]: 29-fight UFC veteran, current UFC lightweight
  • [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag]: current UFC lightweight/welterweight, second-degree black belt

Team PRIDE

  • [autotag]Kazushi Sakuraba[/autotag] (captain): UFC Hall of Famer, competed in 27 fights under the PRIDE banner, UFC Japan heavyweight tournament winner
  • [autotag]Takanori Gomi[/autotag]: PRIDE lightweight champion, Pride 2005 lightweight grand prix winner, UFC veteran
  • [autotag]Gregor Gracie[/autotag]: grappling world champion, ONE FC veteran, member of the storied Gracie family
  • [autotag]Hector Lombard[/autotag]: former Bellator middleweight champion, Bellator Season 1 middleweight tournament winner, international judo federation gold medalist
  • [autotag]Yves Edwards[/autotag]: three-time PRIDE competitor, UFC and Strikeforce veteran, current PFL commentator

Team WEC

  • [autotag]Chad Mendes[/autotag] (captain): two-time UFC featherweight title challenger, most knockouts in UFC featherweight history (tied with Conor McGregor), two-time NCAA Division 1 All American
  • [autotag]Glover Teixeira[/autotag]: former UFC light heavyweight title challenger, current UFC light heavyweight contender, most submission victories in UFC light heavyweight history (tied with Jon Jones)
  • [autotag]Mark Munoz[/autotag]: two-time WEC competitor, 15-time UFC competitor, two-time NCAA division 1 All American
  • [autotag]Cub Swanson[/autotag]: former UFC featherweight title challenger, former WEC title challenger, 11-time UFC/WEC bonus winner
  • [autotag]James Krause[/autotag]: two-time WEC competitor, current UFC welterweight, currently riding a six-fight win streak

Team Strikeforce

  • [autotag]Gilbert Melendez[/autotag]: WEC lightweight champion, Strikeforce lightweight champion, UFC lightweight title challenger
  • [autotag]Jake Shields[/autotag]: Strikeforce middleweight champion, Elite XC welterweight champion, former UFC welterweight title challenger
  • [autotag]Muhammed Lawal[/autotag]: Strikeforce light heavyweight champion, Bellator 2013 “Summer Series” light heavyweight tournament champion, Bellator season 10 light heavyweight tournament finalist
  • [autotag]Gesias Cavalcante[/autotag]: two-time K-1 HERO’s middleweight grand prix champion, former Titan FC lightweight champion
  • [autotag]Renato Sobral[/autotag]: Strikeforce light heavyweight champion, former UFC light heavyweight title challenger

In addition to the team competition, Quintet Ultra will feature singles matches. [autotag]Gordon Ryan[/autotag] meets [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag], while Cynthia Calvillo takes on [autotag]Danielle Kelly[/autotag]. A prelims single match between [autotag]Craig Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]Fredson Paixio[/autotag] also is set.

[opinary poll=”which-team-do-you-think-will-win-at-quin” customer=”mmajunkie”]

Anthony Smith ‘not picking on anybody,’ but he’d love to fight Glover Teixeira in UFC headliner

In fact, Anthony Smith can’t ever forget when Glover Teixeira helped him out during a difficult moment.

WASHINGTON – [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] is ready to get back in the octagon and has his eye on a fellow former UFC title challenger.

After defeating Alexander Gustafsson in June, Smith (32-14 MMA, 8-4 UFC) underwent multiple hand surgeries that have kept him out for the remainder of the year. While he’s been busy as an analyst for the UFC, Smith is eager to return to action.

There are only a few top-ranked light heavyweights available, and Smith would like to face [autotag]Glover Teixeira[/autotag] next.

“I’ve really had my eye on the top five, but I think outside of the top five it’s a little shifty. It’s been moving around a lot, but I think Glover is available, so that’s someone that I would love to fight just because of who he is and what he’s done in this sport,” Smith told MMA Junkie.

[lawrence-related id=469415,469432]

Smith made his UFC debut in 2013 in Brazil, where he suffered a first-round submission loss to Antonio Braga Neto via kneebar, a fight which left him pretty banged up.

Struggling to make his way through the airport, a young Smith recalls how Teixeira helped out during that hard time.

“Funny story: My UFC debut in Brazil, I blew my knee then got cut right after, so on my way back I was struggling with all my bags and a blown knee, and Glover actually helped me through the airport and translated for me and helped get me on the plane and stuff like that. So ever since then, I’ve always had this really – like, I was a nobody. He was a superstar, you know, so I’ve always had just a really big, just a lot of respect for him since then. So again, I’m not attacking anybody. I’m not picking on anybody. He’s just the next guy that may be available, and that’s how I do it. I’m not waiting on anybody.”

[opinary poll=”would-you-be-interested-in-seeing-anthon” customer=”mmajunkie”]

Years later, the two would share the same card in Hamburg, Germany, in 2018, when Smith took out Shogun Rua in the main event, and Teixeira (30-7 MMA, 13-5 UFC) lost a unanimous decision to Corey Anderson. Smith’s win was one of the biggest of his career, as he was able to snap the former UFC light heavyweight champion’s three-fight winning streak.

Later that night at the hotel bar, Smith said Teixeira respectfully approached him, expressing interest in fighting him. And while the fight didn’t end up materializing then, Smith thinks now would be a good time for them to throw down.

Preferably at the end of February or beginning of March.

“I would love to fight Glover. I think that he’s quietly amassed a winning streak over some super, super tough opponents that nobody else wants to fight, and I think he deserves the main event,” Smith said. “I don’t know. You know he had the main event against Gus that didn’t go his way, but I think it’s time that Glover gets another main event. I think he’s earned that, and I think he deserves it.”

[vertical-gallery id=337185]

Anthony Smith on state of UFC light heavyweight division, hopes to fight Glover Teixeira next

Anthony Smith discusses plans for his next fight, has words for Corey Anderson and predicts Jon Jones vs. Dominick Reyes title fight.

Anthony Smith discusses plans for his next fight, has words for Corey Anderson and predicts Jon Jones vs. Dominick Reyes title fight.

Anthony Smith: Dominick Reyes is an easier fight for Jon Jones than Corey Anderson

Anthony Smith believes UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones picked an easier fight in Dominick Reyes over Corey Anderson.

[autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] actually picked the easier opponent in [autotag]Dominick Reyes[/autotag].

UFC light heavyweight champion Jones tweeted that he picked Reyes over [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] because he believes he’s the more dangerous fighter, but Smith said he thinks Anderson presents more problems overall.

“I honestly think Jon probably chose the easier opponent between Corey Anderson and Dominick Reyes,” Smith said on UFC Unfiltered. “I think that Reyes is absolutely more dangerous, as far as explosiveness and size and his length. I think he may give Jon some problems on his feet a little bit and Jon will have to dodge some bullets. But look at everybody Jon’s beat – they’re one-dimensional, and that’s what Jon wants.”

The undefeated Reyes (11-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC), is coming off a first-round knockout over Chris Weidman at UFC on ESPN 6 in Boston. Anderson (13-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) is coming off a first-round finish of his own, taking out top prospect Johnny Walker at UFC 244.

Both were in the running for a title shot, but Jones ultimately chose Reyes. However, Smith said that Reyes’ split decision win over Volkan Oezdemir in March exposed some holes in his game that he can see Jones exploiting in the fight.

“Like we’ve seen in the Volkan Oezdemir fight, Dominick Reyes isn’t necessarily dominant on the ground and his takedown defense isn’t that great,” Smith said. “Even though he was able to stuff some of Weidman’s (takedowns) … he did have some improvements there, but Volkan Oezdemir took him down several times and Jon Jones is a much better wrestler than Volkan Oezdemir, that’s for sure.”

In Anderson, Smith sees a more skilled fighter overall who could present more issues to Jones, considering his wrestling ability.

“I think Corey is more well-rounded,” Smith said. “He’s got fundamental boxing. His kicking game isn’t super high level, but he keeps his hands in the right spot. He moves his head well. His wrestling is good. His takedown defense is really good. His top pressure is good. His cardio is phenomenal. Corey presents a lot more problems than Dominick Reyes does, so I do think that Jon picked the easier fight.”

[vertical-gallery id=459186]