“Black Scary Guys Don’t Make Me Nervous”- Anthony Smith on Ryan Spann Trying to Intimidate Him

Published 09/12/2021, 12:20 PM EDT

Following an impressive first round, TKO victory against Jimmy Crute at UFC 261, Anthony Smith is getting ready to make his return to the octagon. ‘Lionheart’ will face Dana White Contender Series alumnus, Ryan Spann at UFC Vegas 37 on September 18th.

Despite suffering a few setbacks against Glover Teixeira and Alexander Rakic, Smith is now on a two-fight win streak in the light heavyweight division. As for his opponent, Ryan Spann, a former light heavyweight champion in Legacy Fighting Alliance, made his UFC debut back in 2017. After suffering his first loss, Spann went on an incredible five-fight win streak until his fight with Johnny Walker.

However, Spann recently made a statement comeback against Misha Cirkunov, securing a first-round knockout to get back to his winning ways. Going into this matchup, Ryan Spann seems to hold a grudge against Anthony Smith. In a recent video promo shot for the fight, Spann took some shots at ‘Lionheart’, in an effort to intimidate him.

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Interestingly, in a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Smith gave his take on Spann’s behavior;

“Listen, I don’t want to take this too deep, because there’s no beef there. I definitely don’t have his respect, which is fine. I will next Saturday night, and I promise you that, but he’s not scary to me because he’s big, strong, and black. He’s like every single cousin I have on my dad’s side, like it’s not intimidating to me. Maybe he’s not used to that, but big black scary guys don’t make me nervous.”

As one can see, a veteran of the fight game, Anthony Smith isn’t one to encourage trash talk ahead of his fights. The 33-year-old’s sole intention is to make his way back to another title shot.

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Can Anthony Smith become the light heavyweight champion?

Currently, the number six-light heavyweight in the UFC, Anthony Smith, is one of the most vicious fighters in the division. Not long ago, Smith took on Jon Jones in his first title fight. And although he came up short; ultimately losing via unanimous decision, he exposed certain flaws in the champion’s game.

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A powerful puncher with great counter striking skills paired with Grit and tenacity, Smith has the ingredients to become the champion. However, considering the current landscape of the division, he’s a long way off.

If ‘Lionheart’ can string a couple of more wins together, the Nebraska native could look at a title shot indeed. But first, he must deal with Ryan Spann, who seems motivated and hungry to eventually earn his shot at UFC gold.

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What do you think? Can Anthony Smith become the light heavyweight champion? Let us know in the comments.

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David Andrew is an MMA author at EssentiallySports with a background in English Literature from St. Stephens College. Prior to his current role, David, who combines his passion for writing and combat sports, contributed to the MMA divisions at Sportskeeda and The Sportsrush.

“Black Scary Guys Don’t Make Me Nervous”- Anthony Smith on Ryan Spann Trying to Intimidate Him

Can Anthony Smith become the light heavyweight champion?

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