- Anthony Smith and Alex Pereira squashed their beef
- The pair feuded in the past and were down to face each other in a grappling match
Anthony Smith and Alex Pereira met in person in Salt Lake City ahead of UFC 307 to finally put an end to their beef.
Let bygones be bygones
“Lionheart” unexpectedly flew to Salt Lake City to speak with “Poatan” in person. Though they have been feuding for a while, Smith did not come to fight Pereira. Instead, he genuinely buried the hatchet with the reigning light heavyweight champion.
“Thank you for doing this and having a sit-down with me. Aside from the competitive rivalry or whatever it was before, I got a lot of respect for you, I’m a big fan of your game. I love watching you fight. Best of luck for you here in Salt Lake City,” Smith told Pereira.
In return, Pereira also showed willingness to move on from their beef.
“I am thankful to you for reaching out,” Pereira replied to Smith. “Ever since you spoke to Glover [Teixeira], I don’t think there is any malice, there’s no bitterness about the back and forth that we had. Today, I’m much better. I feel really good.”
Alex Pereira and Anthony Smith settled their beef in an interview with @espnmma ahead of #UFC307 🤝 pic.twitter.com/njfI10yfIv
— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) October 1, 2024
Anthony and Alex wanted to take on each other
Prior to ending their feud, Smith and Pereira engaged in an epic back-and-forth. The pair exchanged barbs after the Brazilian challenged Smith to a grappling match. “Lionheart” accepted it and even said he would submit “Poatan” within five minutes.
As expected, Pereira hit back once again and insisted that he is serious about his $50K grappling match challenge to Smith. Since then, fans have been waiting for Pereira and Smith to finally come to blows. However, it’s safe to say that is not the case now.
Smith is set to take on Dominick Reyes at UFC 310 in December. On the other hand, Pereira will defend his light heavyweight title against Khalil Rountree at UFC 307 this weekend.
