If someone told you that the UFC will one day be hosting an event at the White House, you’d pretty much roll your eyes, but that is looking increasingly likely to become a reality. As part of the America250 celebrations, Donald Trump announced that the POTUS residence will be turned into a 25,000-seater venue for the UFC event. As such, a lot of fighters wanted in, and the latest among the bunch is Anthony Smith.

Much like Jon Jones, his former rival Anthony Smith is also retired. He bid farewell to the sport after losing to Zhang Mingyang, mentioning that it was his last event before the fight went down. ‘Lionheart’, thereafter, got into the UFC’s broadcasting team, and even started his own podcast, On Paper, but it seems he doesn’t want to miss the opportunity to compete at the history-making White House event.

Anthony Smith recently claimed that he was willing to come out of retirement for the White House event. Although he does not have any plans to go on another run, he’s waiting on the UFC’s matchmaking team to find a spot for him on the card. Through his statement, it appeared as if Smith was not concerned whether it’s on the prelims or on the main card, because it is more about a chance to compete, and that too, in the heavyweight division.

“I don’t want to fight MMA anymore, but… I would wanna hundred percent [fight at the White House],” Anthony Smith stated on his podcast. “If Mick Maynard told me that there was a chance they could put me on that card, I’d be back. I’ll have to re-enroll into the testing pool, me and Jon Jones and we have to find someone at heavyweight.”

it is understandable that the fighting in the White House is quite tempting, but the fans have made their decision when it comes to Anthony Smith. Unfortunately, most of their reactions weren’t very positive. Let’s take a look at what they had to say on Instagram.

Fans don’t want to see Jon Jones’ former rival back in action

Anthony Smith fought in over 60 MMA fights in his professional career, which includes one UFC title fight. His UFC run was a mixed bag because, towards the end of his career, he racked up more losses than wins. As such, a fan said, “Unretire to get an L,” insinuating that a return to fighting could be uneventful for ‘Lionheart’. To make things worse for Smith, Dillon Danis also shared a negative reaction to the former UFC fighter’s statement, claiming, “Ain’t one person wants to see Lionfart come out of retirement.”

Well, the fans were having a field day with Anthony Smith’s comments, claiming that he is not on the level of the current generation of fighters. On that note, a fan added, “Smith vs White House chef is his only chance for a fair fight,” while another said, “Absolutely nobody wants this.” To rub more salt on the wound, some fans claim that losing a UFC fight in any other venue doesn’t come close to losing inside the White House as an American fighter. An Instagram user said, “Nobody wants to see Anthony Smith Embarras America by Quitting on the White House Lawn,” suggesting Smith considers his decision to come out of retirement.

The call for Anthony Smith to stay retired was strong, with another fan writing, “Absolutely nobody wants this.” But then, the fans took aim at the UFC’s decision to go ahead with Donald Trump’s announcement. “UFC fighters ready to do a circus for Trump,” one of those fans commented, indicating that he’s not too fond of an event in the POTUS residence. But perhaps one of the most noticeable reactions was the one where a fan expressed being fed up with fighters coming in and out of retirement, as Jon Jones did recently. “Is anybody else sick of these fake f—ing retirements? Like seriously, etf is the point of retiring just to f—ing come back?”

Well, Anthony Smith has transitioned well from a fighter to an MMA media personality. So, do you think it would be wise to come out of retirement for just one fight? Let us know in the comments down below.