- Anthony Smith admitted he made a huge mistake by missing weight at UFC 283
- “Lionheart” said he would still call out fighters who would miss weight in the future
In an effort to prevent uncertainties caused by fighters missing weight, the UFC appointed Anthony Smith to be a backup fighter in case Jamahal Hill or Glover Teixeira messes up on the scale. However, both Hill and Teixeira made weight and it was Smith who didn’t. Addressing the subject on his podcast show with Michael Bisping, “Lionheart” took full responsibility for his mistake.
No excuses
Well aware that the topic will be brought by his co-host, Smith, who came in weighing 209 pounds, didn’t shy away from sharing his reflection on the missed weight. Like a true professional athlete, “Lionheart” offered no excuses.
“I can’t even tell you what happened. Because no matter what I say, there’s a reason, there’s a lot of sh*t that goes on behind the scenes that nobody sees,” Smith began. “I was in shape, I was really low couple weeks ago. And sh*t happens but I have no excuses. I had a job, I had to go down and make weight to be the alternative if something happened. To be fair, I was still there, I was still ready to fight if something happened, if someone had to pull out. I still would have fought, I just wouldn’t be eligible to win the title.”
He continued, “But I have no excuses, I have been an absolute a*shole about people missing weight. You got one job, you gotta show up on weight. That’s the easiest part of the job, right? So I stand by everything I’ve ever said about everybody else, that you have to make weight, that it’s not an option. And I’ll accept whatever sh*t’s coming my way. Doesn’t change my perspective.”
When egged by Bisping to comment on the notion that people will clap back at him for calling out fighters who miss weight on the podcast, Smith said not one bit will change in his stance on the matter. On the other hand, the former light heavyweight title contender swore not to miss weight again.
“I’m still gonna do it. The next person that misses weight, I’m gonna say something about it,” Smith stressed. “Because everyone else is coming at me… They’re talking sh*t. I’ll eat it… It is what it is. It wasn’t for lack of effort… No one see me on the scale looking like I had an additional 20 pounds.”
“It won’t happen again,” he added. “I’ll be the first one on the scale the next fight… I’m not like a serial weight-misser.”
The UFC didn’t make a big deal out of it
Once and for all, Smith revealed how the UFC reacted to it. According to “Lionheart,” the promotion didn’t like that he missed weight but at the same time, there wasn’t too much drama about it.
“To be honest, they understand. They weren’t super happy about it but once the fights went through and everything was fine, everybody was good. They know that I’m a professional, things happen and again, I offer no excuses. That’s on me,” Smith concluded.
Smith last fought in July where he lost via TKO to Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 277. He is now set to take part in the UFC Vegas 71 card happening in March but the opponent is still to be announced.
