Despite spending the majority of his profession contending at middleweight, Smith knows the cut down to 185 pounds would also be exceptionally hard at this moment.
” I think Ive got some big decisions to make in my career and find out where we go from here,” Smith said. “Its incredibly irritating to lose to a guy that you feel that you can beat.
“He just beat up my lead leg and then we got in our clinch and grappling exchanges, which I felt fine in. I got to the clinch versus the cage, I was able to get to his legs, it was just when I attempted to return him to the mat, he was just so strong. I could not get him bent over at the waist to get his weight on his hands. “Im simply too huge for 185 and you begin getting to these bigger, stronger, taller, longer people, theyre just so strong. I simply couldnt get up.
Smith confessed the size difference was just excessive to overcome, which now puts him in a precarious position going forward.
While hes still going to be a top-10 ranked fighter, Smith will unquestionably encounter similar issues in the future as long as hes competing at 205 pounds where a number of his challengers will still be much bigger than him.
” I did everything I wished to perform in those positions however I just wasnt able to end up some of them. I got to the clinch versus the cage, I had the ability to get to his legs, it was simply when I tried to return him to the mat, he was so strong. I couldnt get him bent over at the waist to get his weight on his hands. Thats what I keep going back to. I just seemed like we remained in two different weight classes.”
The one-time light heavyweight title contender suffered a lopsided defeat at the hands of Aleksandar Rakic in the UFC Vegas 8 primary event, which came 3 months after he was finished by fifth-round TKO in a showdown against Glover Teixeira.
Smith had never formerly tasted defeat in two successive fights in the UFC and this newest obstacle puts him even further away from another shot at 205-pound gold.
” I could not get his hands apart. I couldnt get his head off my chest to make any space to do anything. I even was launching posture on his head to hope that he would posture up to punch so I could at least make some area to get up.
A series of brutal leg kicks from Rakic set the rate early and the Austrian possibility also controlled the fight on the floor whenever Smith engaged him in a grappling battle. When it was all said and done, Smith gave Rakic credit for the triumph while noting that he eventually felt outpowered and undersized for most of the fight.
Once again, the 32-year-old Nebraska native comprehends that even attempting a move back down to middleweight would require a lot of time and effort prior to he could even ponder booking a fight at 185 pounds.
” Ive never ever been among the men that is out here pining and calling for more weight classes however my last couple fights, its kind of where my brain goes,” Smith said. “Im simply too huge for 185 and you start getting to these bigger, more powerful, taller, longer guys, theyre so strong. He wasnt passing my guard. He wasnt putting me in danger on the ground. I simply couldnt get up.
Its not one of those things where I can get into camp and alter my diet plan and cut down. I guess the other option is to take some time off and get bigger. Ive got some things to choose on.”
Following a 2nd straight loss in the UFC, Anthony Smith is reassessing his future.
” I remained in kicking variety at the start, which was obviously foolish now,” Smith said during the UFC post-fight program. “He simply batter my lead leg and then we got in our clinch and grappling exchanges, which I felt all right in. He was so strong, so huge. I simply ended up in some bad spots and it wasnt actually bad spots, he was just so tight on top, I couldnt make any space. I think simply my most significant takeaway is that he was so strong and so huge.
