The UFC president Dana White recently announced some mouth-watering matchups when he went live on his social media handles. Besides giving fans a highly-anticipated rematch involving the two arch nemeses Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya, he also unveiled Gilbert Burns vs Jorge Masvidal at UFC 287. While the stacked UFC 287 gained accolades, the UFC star Anthony Smith has second thoughts about the recent announcements.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
The light heavyweight fighter, who missed the opportunity to be a backup fighter at UFC 283, had different expectations from the UFC head honcho. However, ‘Lionheart’ eventually made peace with those after his expectations went unfulfilled.
Markedly, the 34-year-old sat down with Michael Bisping in the latest segment of their podcast, Believe You Me. The duo discussed the upcoming UFC 287 fight card, the recent unfortunate accident involving Conor McGregor, and the two distinct wrestling styles.
Anthony Smith admits a change of heart with Dana White’s announcements
The Brit started the podcast as he mentioned the recent announcements by Dana White. Smith, following this, stated that he liked the recent declarations. However, he also revealed, “I don’t think I did it first, but I think I came around to it.”
Imago
HOUSTON, TEXAS – MAY 15: UFC President Dana White waits to place the UFC lightweight championship belt on Charles Oliveira of Brazil after defeating Michael Chandler in their lightweight championship bout during the UFC 262 event at Toyota Center on May 15, 2021 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC)
Further, the American fighter acknowledged, “If I was expecting some huge blow away, you know, kind of announcement like some life-changing, sport-changing thing”. But the Factor X team product stated that he was disappointed at first but eventually settled that it was not a bad idea.
The 36-17 record holder then also revealed what he actually hoped from those announcements.
Smith’s unfulfilled expectations from Dana White
Later in the conversation, the Texas-born pointed out that he was hoping for The Ultimate Fighter coach announcements and weight classes, which would have been ‘super-super big’ to him.
Subsequently, he insisted, “But I don’t think it’s terrible to come on drop, you know, drop some fight announcements, and then move on. I don’t think maybe it doesn’t have to always be something huge and world-changing.”
USA Today via Reuters
Sep 16, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Anthony Smith (Blue Gloves) reacts to fight against Hector Lombard (Red Gloves) during UFC Fight Night at PPG PAINTS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Don Wright-USA TODAY Sports
Bisping straightaway agreed with his co-host. Therefore, he added, “Yeah, but that’s pretty big. I mean, that’s ultimately what we do like. And when The Ultimate Fighter happens, most of it’s because we see the two coaches at the end.”
‘The Count’ towards the end of the conversation gave the two names he wanted to see donning the role of coaches on the noted show. And, interestingly, he named Conor McGregor and Tony Ferguson.
Watch This Story: Joe Rogan reveals the real reason for Conor McGregor’s demise
What do you think of these statements by UFC star Anthony Smith? Do you also agree that Dana White’s announcement lacked luster? Let us know in the comments below.
