Anthony Smith thinks the only logical fight for him in the light heavyweight division is a rematch with Aleksandar Rakic.
Smith earned his third consecutive victory on Saturday when he submitted Ryan Spann in the first round of their main event matchup at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
He made it very clear he wanted a rematch of his unanimous decision loss to Rakic at UFC Fight Night 175 in August 2020.
“That’s what I wanted,” Smith said 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.”
“Lionheart” said he’s still bothered by what that loss represents.
“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.”
“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.”
