USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Sept. 21: Anthony Smith, Phil Davis hold off contenders

While the light heavyweight division appeared primed for a shake-up on a busy weekend, a couple of perennial contenders held serve.

While the light heavyweight division appeared primed for a shake-up on a busy weekend, a couple of perennial contenders held serve.

At UFC Fight Night 192, it was [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] making quick work of upstart contender Ryan Spann, while at Bellator 266, former champ [autotag]Phil Davis[/autotag] spoiled the promotional debut of Yoel Romero.

With Smith (36-16 MMA, 11-6 UFC) sitting just behind Aleksandar Rakic, the man who most recently defeated “Lionheart,” there’s really no room for the veteran to move up past his current No. 11 spot in the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie light heavyweight rankings. Meanwhile, Davis (23-6 MMA, 10-3 BMMA) started the week at No. 12, and while his decision was clear, it wasn’t the type of result to see him make a major move up, so he also stays in his current position.

Similar scenarios played out in other divisions, as well, leaving the list relatively unchanged this week. That said, with a blockbuster UFC 266 event set for the weekend, the same isn’t likely to be the case one week from now.

Following this past weekend’s dual events, check out the latest updates using the dropdown menu above.

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Spinning Back Clique: Yoel Romero’s Bellator debut reaction, an MMA Sophie’s choice, and more

Check out this week’s episode of “Spinning Back Clique” covering the biggest topics in MMA.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week, we cover the aftermath of Bellator 266 and UFC Fight Night 192, the retirements of two UFC legends, an unexpected fight announcement, and finally look ahead to UFC 266 on Saturday.

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Mike Bohn, Danny Segura and Brian “Goze” Garcia debates and discusses these topics with host John Morgan:

  • It was a busy weekend in MMA with both the UFC and Bellator holding events, but it seemed a majority of eyes were on [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag], who ended up losing a decision to Phil Davis in his promotional debut at Bellator 266. After the result, we’re kind of left to wonder, at age 44, did Romero finally show his age? Or are there still big wins ahead for him? What does he have left in the tank?
  • We had 26 bouts to take in on Saturday between the UFC and Bellator, so that’s a lot of athletes who got their hand raised. Even though no new champions were crowned or future title fights secured, who walked away as the star of the night?
  • A couple of UFC and WEC legends called it a career this past week, with both [autotag]Joseph Benavidez[/autotag] and [autotag]Carlos Condit[/autotag] electing to retire. So here’s a Sophie’s choice scenario, but the timing is perfect with the UFC Hall of Fame getting a few new members this week: If you could only place one of them in the Hall of Fame, is it Benavidez or Condit?
  • Speaking of UFC and WEC greats, how about the news from ONE Championship that Demetrious Johnson will have a mixed rules fight with muay Thai legend Rodtang Jitmuangnon? Sounds kind of fun, doesn’t it? What are we thinking here? Should organizations like the UFC be more open to wild ideas like this, or does someone need to be protecting the sanctity of MMA?
  • Finally, it’s a big week for the UFC – International Fight Week, in fact. UFC 266 features a couple of big title fights, the long-awaited return of Nick Diaz, multiple top contenders in action, and more. With all that is going on, what’s the most intriguing storyline of the week?

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Tuesday on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel.

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MMA Junkie Radio #3194: UFC Fight Night 192 and Bellator 266 recaps, guest Marcus Almeida

Monday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.

Monday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.

On Episode 3,194, the fellas discuss unpack the fight at UFC Fight Night 192 and Bellator 266, including Anthony Smith’s big win and Yoel Romero’s spoiled debut. They also weigh in on Anthony Johnson being forced out of the Bellator light heavyweight grand prix, Demetrious Johnson’s return in a mixed rules fight, the retirements of Joseph Benavidez and Carlos Condit, as well as welcome guest [autotag]Marcus Almeida[/autotag], who fights this Friday at ONE Championship: Revolution. Tune in!

Stream or download this and all episodes of MMA Junkie Radio over at OmnyStudio. You can also catch it on Apple PodcastsSpotifyStitcher, and more. A new episode of the podcast is released every Monday and Thursday.

VIDEO: Devin Clark temporarily gets teeth pulled back into place after UFC Fight Night 192 loss

Devin Clark’s gruesome jaw injury at UFC Fight Night 192 has been temporarily dealt with.

[autotag]Devin Clark[/autotag]’s gruesome jaw injury at UFC Fight Night 192 has been temporarily dealt with.

In Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 192 co-main event, Clark (12-6 MMA, 6-6 UFC) ate a brutal knee courtesy of Ion Cutelaba that rearranged the teeth in his lower jaw. Clark almost didn’t make it to Round 3 when he expressed concern to his corner, but was able to tough it out and win the final round on two of the three judges’ scorecards. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.

Following the fight, orthopedic sports surgeon Dr. David Abbassi posted a video of Clark, who had his teeth pulled back into place with the help of temporary braces.

Dr. Abbassi elaborated on Clark’s injury on his YouTube channel and broke down what happened and when he expects Clark to be able to return to action.

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7 biggest takeaways from UFC Fight Night 192, Bellator 266: Yoel Romero’s debut gets fumbled

Thoughts and analysis of the biggest storylines coming out of UFC Fight Night 192 and Bellator 266, both of which took place Saturday.

What mattered most at UFC Fight Night 192 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and Bellator 266 from the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif.? Here are a few post-fight musings …

Anthony Smith explains post-win outburst at Ryan Spann: ‘Maybe I’m on some Michael Jordan sh*t’

Anthony Smith is glad cooler heads prevailed with Ryan Spann in the heated aftermath of the UFC Fight Night 192 main event.

[autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] is glad cooler heads prevailed with [autotag]Ryan Spann[/autotag] in the aftermath of the UFC Fight Night 192 main event.

Following Smith’s (35-16 MMA, 11-6 UFC) first-round submission win over Spann (19-7 MMA, 5-2 UFC) on Saturday’s card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, he got very heated and yelled at his downed opponent. Referee Herb Dean had to restrain Smith, and once Spann got back to his feet and started to walk toward him, security flooded the cage and made sure nothing escalated.

The incident ultimately boiled down to a lot of yelling, but Smith’s emotion stemmed from everything that led into the fight. He was bothered by how dismissive Spann was in regard to his skillset and past accomplishments, and “Lionheart” said he took it personally.

Although Smith didn’t vocalize the depth of feelings going into fight night, it all came out afterward.

“I was holding a lot of that sh*t back – it really pissed me off,” Smith told MMA Junkie and other media at the UFC Fight Night 192 post-event press conference. “(I had) a lot, a lot (of fire). Maybe this is going to sound arrogant or pretentious, but I have earned the respect from my peers. I put a lot of work into this game. I’ve sacrificed my entire adult life to be in this position I’m sitting in right now. That’s time with my kids, that’s friendships, that’s life opportunities. I could’ve been a goddamn surgeon by now. I put a lifetime of work into this. Most of my peers respect it. That’s all I ask.

“You don’t have to like me. We don’t have to get along. We don’t have to be friends. You can think you’re going to kick my ass, and sometimes you might. I just think respecting my journey is the only thing I expect from anybody. He didn’t. Saying he doesn’t care about what I’ve done, he doesn’t care about the main events, he doesn’t care who I’ve beaten, he doesn’t care about the bonuses – I bet he cares now.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CT_EQBYo01Y/

Although Smith has no regrets about his actions, he said he’s glad it didn’t linger beyond what happened in the octagon. He said he had a brief conversation with Spann and coach Sayif Saud from Fortis MMA, and though he didn’t share the contents of that conversation, he said everything is now in the past.

“It’s nothing personal at this point,” Smith said. “I feel like I squashed it. I did what I had to do and I think we dealt with it in the cage afterwards. Him and his coach came over and they said what they said and I said what I said and we move on. I don’t hold any ill will towards them. I’m moving on, and see you later.

“I’m glad we did it right away. I think I would’ve felt bad afterwards. A lot of that stuff – there’s adrenaline, there’s a lot of testosterone flowing in there, there’s a lot of emotions. It was a big fight for both of us. They were upset. Let’s not pretend Ryan Spann wasn’t going to rub that sh*t in my face if he beat me. I wasn’t even trying to throw it in his face. That was just my initial reaction. The second he tapped and the ref pulled me off, my initial reaction was, ‘Where was that ass-whooping you promised me?’ That was my initial thought that was running through my head since he said it.”

Smith thinks his reaction partially came from the shift in mindset he’s endured while he’s gone on what’s currently a three-fight winning streak consisting of all first-round finishes. He said he clings onto certain things as fuel and motivation for himself to perform at his best, and that may have partially been the deal here as he latched into Spann’s pre-fight comments.

“Maybe I’m on some Michael Jordan sh*t where I’m just making stuff up in my head and making a mountain out of a mole hill just because that’s what I need to do,” Smith said. “But the fact is it genuinely bothered me and that was my emotional reaction immediately. I’m glad we got it over with. … I think people are more surprised that it’s me. I typically don’t get crazy emotional like that. But maybe I’m just caring less.”

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Ryan Spann ‘still smiling’ despite submission loss to Anthony Smith at UFC Fight Night 192

Ryan Spann showed grace in defeat in the immediate aftermath of his UFC Fight Night 192 main event loss to Anthony Smith.

[autotag]Ryan Spann[/autotag] showed grace in defeat in the immediate aftermath of his UFC Fight Night 192 main event loss to Anthony Smith.

Spann (19-7 MMA, 5-2 UFC) got his first opportunity to headline a card Saturday when he was paired up with fellow light heavyweight contender Smith (35-16 MMA, 11-6 UFC) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to make a lot happen.

“Superman” spent the majority of the fight on the defensive or in survival mode. He was knocked down twice before getting tapped out with a rear-naked choke from Smith, all inside the first round.

For some fighters, a defeat of this manner on this platform would be crippling to the confidence. By all appearances, though, Spann is digesting the outcome well.

Spann took to social media not long after his fight was complete and offered a very short statement where he said he’s “still smiling” (via Instagram):

Still smiling… To be continued…

After opening his UFC tenure with four consecutive wins, Spann has now lost two of his past three bouts. There was some controversy around his September 2020 fight with Johnny Walker where he succumbed to a first-round knockout, but nothing can be said about the fight with Smith.

With a strong team around him at Fortis MMA, Spann seemingly has all the tools and supporting cast to rebound from his loss to Smith. It simply remains to be seen when – and against who – he returns to the octagon.

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UFC Fight Night 192 post-event facts: Anthony Smith becoming an all-time great finisher

Check out all the facts and figures from UFC Fight Night 192, which saw Anthony Smith extend his winning streak with a main event finish.

UFC Fight Night 192 featured a rare first-round submission finish in the main event as [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] put away [autotag]Ryan Spann[/autotag].

Saturday’s event, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, featured a key light heavyweight matchup in the headliner. Smith (35-16 MMA, 11-6 UFC) shined once again to close a fight card, as he managed to hurt Spann (19-7 MMA, 5-2 UFC) on the feet before closing the show with a rear-naked choke.

“Lionheart” almost never sees the judges, and that track record is starting to show itself on his overall UFC resume.

For more on the numbers, check below for 35 post-event facts to come out of UFC Fight Night 192.

UFC Fight Night 192 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Anthony Smith’s $16k tops card

UFC Fight Night 192 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 192 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $162,000.

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 192 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 192 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Ryan Spann[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Ion Cutelaba[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Devin Clark[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Ariane Lipski[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Mandy Bohm[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Christos Giagos[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Nate Maness[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Tony Gravely[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Antonio Arroyo[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Tafon Nchukwi[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Mike Rodriguez[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Pannie Kianzad[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Rong Zhu[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Brandon Jenkins[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Montel Jackson[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]JP Buys[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Erin Blanchfield[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Sarah Alpar[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Carlston Harris[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Impa Kasanganay[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Gustavo Lopez[/autotag]: $4,500
vs. [autotag]Heili Alateng[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Hannah Goldy[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Emily Whitmire[/autotag]: $6,000

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 2021 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $3,592,500
Program-to-date total: $3,592,500

Anthony Smith: Aleksandar Rakic rematch is ‘nothing personal,’ about rankings

Anthony Smith has “nothing personal” against Aleksandar Rakic but is ready to earn revenge in a rematch after UFC Fight Night 182.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] thinks the only logical fight for him in the light heavyweight division after UFC Fight Night 192 is a rematch with [autotag]Aleksandar Rakic[/autotag].

Smith (35-16 MMA, 11-6 UFC) earned his third consecutive victory against a lesser-ranked opponent on Saturday when he submitted Ryan Spann (19-7 MMA, 5-2 UFC) in the first round of their main event matchup at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Coming into the fight, Smith made it very clear he wanted a rematch of his unanimous decision loss to Rakic (14-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 175 in August 2020. He doubled down during his in-cage interview, and it seemed the sequel was made on the spot ad Rakic instantly responded and said he’s available in December.

Smith said he would like nothing more than for that to come to reality, but it’s not because he has a deeper issue with Rakic beyond simply losing their fight.

“That’s what I wanted,” Smith told MMA Junkie and other reporters at the UFC Fight Night 192 post-event press conference. “That’s what I asked for. That’s the fight I’ve been talking about. It’s nothing personal. Me and Rakic have had nothing but positive exchanges with each other both before and after the fight. It’s purely competitive. I want his spot. He took mine, I want to take it back.”

In addition to losing his ranking to Rakic, “Lionheart” said he’s still bothered by what that loss represents. He said he was in a “dark place” following a brutal TKO defeat to Glover Teixeira in May 2020, and he wasn’t where he needed to be mentally for his training camp and in the fight with Rakic itself.

He’s seemingly turned a positive corner since then, earning first-round stoppage wins over Spann, Jimmy Crute and Devin Clark. Not only does Smith want to show he’s a better version of himself now, but he said it’s the fight that does the most of him in terms of climbing the 205-pound rankings to a second UFC title shot.

“No disrespect – I think Dominick Reyes is an easier fight (than Rakic), but that doesn’t get me closer to the title,” Smith said. “I need what’s going to get me closest to the title fight. I could hang around and wait for the loser of the title fight, but I don’t want to wait. I think for me stylistically – not saying for everyone – but for me, Rakic is probably the toughest fight out of those (top) five guys.”

Although Smith’s performance against Spann earned him “Performance of the Night” honors, he wasn’t the happiest with his body of work. He felt the fight was “chaotic and wild,” and despite his track rate of finishing fights, would’ve liked something cleaner.

Still, though, he got his hand raised in a matchup against an opponent in Spann who has some hype as a future player at light heavyweight. Smith said he didn’t think he was getting enough credit coming into the matchup, but at this point is over putting stock into the critics and only wants to satisfy himself.

“What do I got to do? Who do I have to beat?” Smith said. “I beat the old guys and people said they were too old. Now I beat the young guys and everyone says they’re not ranked high enough. What the f*ck do you want me to do? I don’t give a f*ck anymore. I’m doing what I have to do and fighting the guys in front of me.”

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