Anthony Smith is not expecting the same performances from Jiri Prochazka or Glover Teixeira.
Prochazka became the new light heavyweight champion after a fifth-round submission win over Teixeira in the UFC 275 headliner this past weekend.
It was a back-and-forth fight that saw both fighters have many moments of success as well as moments of sloppiness.
Prochazka would even apologize post-fight for his performance and stated he would deliver a much better performance in his next outing.
That’s exactly what Smith expects as he believes we saw the worst versions of Prochazka and Teixeira on the night.
“I did see a lot of holes, a lot of opportunities. But I’m also a realist and I’m conscious not everybody can have the best performance every single time out,” Smith said on MMA on SiriusXM. “I hope the rest of the division is half as smart as I am when it comes to breaking down these fights. And can understand that’s probably the worst Jiri Prochazka and Glover Teixeira that you’re going to see.
“So if you’re expecting that that’s the person you’re going to get moving forward… you’re doing yourself a huge disservice. Matches make fights. For whatever reason, those guys just match up funny and bring the worst out of each other. At least in that scenario.”
Anthony Smith: Unlikely To See Those Two Same Fighters Again
Smith, of course, is looking to challenge for the title next with a potential win over Magomed Ankalaev.
And should he get the next shot, he will not be training for the Prochazka or Teixeira that performed on Saturday night, but instead, their best possible versions.
“I don’t for a second think that I would be training for a fight with Jiri [Prochazka] or for Glover [Teixeira] right now and think that’s the guy I’m gonna get,” Smith added. “Because it’s probably unlikely that you see those two people show up again.”
You can listen to the clip below:
"I don't for a second think that I would be training for a fight with Jiri [Prochazka] or for Glover [Teixeira] right now and think that's the guy I'm gonna get."
Anthony Smith (@lionheartasmith) breaks down the stylistic matchup between Prochazka and Teixeira following #UFC275 pic.twitter.com/D9bFdrS0fn
— MMA on SiriusXM (@MMAonSiriusXM) June 14, 2022
