- Anthony Smith believes he is the perfect opponent for Alex Pereira
- “Lionheart” claims he is the only light heavyweight who could match “Poatan”
Anthony Smith is certain he and Alex Pereira is the best matchup at light heavyweight at this point.
Anthony got his eyes on Alex
Smith is already booked for a showdown with Vitor Petrino at UFC 301 in Brazil but he still got his eyes on Pereira. For “Lionheart,” nobody in the light heavyweight division has what it takes to go toe-to-toe with “Poatan” but him and the reigning champion is well aware of it.
That said, Smith is already letting Pereira and the UFC brass know about his desire to take on the Brazilian sooner rather than later.
“He’s fun. Him and I have had our words back and forth, I don’t think that there’s any like real beef there but there’s definitely something there with him and I, where given the opportunity, we both would jump on it,” Smith told Submission Radio.
“If I can put myself into a position where it’s ‘Oh, holy sh*t, here we are on a bit of a streak and things are going well’, the timing works out, I think both of us would jump on that opportunity. And I don’t know why that is, I don’t if it’s, I don’t know, real recognizes real a little bit. I’m one of the few guys probably that would really, I don’t know, I would really step in the fire with him and he knows that,” he continued.
“Like, Is [Magomed] Ankalaev going to stand in the pocket and trade with Alex Pereira and really play that game? Probably not, you know what I mean? [laughs] Which is probably the worst matchup in the division not just for Pereira but him and f**king everybody else,” he added.
Anthony needs a big win
Smith is currently the No. 10 light heavyweight contender. While he has proven that he could compete for the title in the past, “Lionheart” needs to prove that he could still break into the division’s Top 5 first.
As it stands, Smith is coming off a tough TKO loss to Khalil Rountree and he is now facing No. 15 ranked Petrino. Stating the obvious, the 35-year-old must make a statement in his upcoming fight before a title shot against Pereira becomes more realistic.
Watch Smith’s full interview below:
