Anthony Smith fought bravely against the devastating blows of Khalil Rountree. However, one can only take so much damage. The fighter has won his last fight against Ryan Spann after a brilliant three-round display but this time, he fell a bit short.

Getting knocked out was probably not what he had planned. However, what may have been more surprising were the moves of Rountree after the knockout. So soon after his loss, Smith took to Instagram to address the fight. And it looks like he matched his opponent’s honorable spirit. Here’s all you need to know.

Anthony Smith addresses the loss

Rountree and Smith exchanged severe blows in the first two rounds. Smith managed to find some brilliant body kicks while Rountree shook him with a punch earlier in round two. It looked like ‘Lionheart’ was rocked back then too but he powered forward.

Unfortunately in the third round, it all came crumbling down. Rountree pummeled his face with a great combo that took him down. In a great display, Rountree decided to not follow up with ground-and-pound punches and showed restraint while Smith was clearly out of it. And afterwards, the fighter took some time to speak to his defeated opponent and check on him. Now, Smith has addressed the fight.

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“Congrats to Khalil and his team. Helluva performance. You deserved it. Sorry to everyone who supports me. I gave it my all. Sometimes that’s not enough.” Smith wrote in an Instagram post. The fighter tanked a lot of big shots earlier in the match and looked like he was still in it.

That changed in the final round. If it wasn’t for the combo, it could have led to a decision ending instead. Either way, Smith has done his part. Now, Rountree has won and set his sights forth on bigger opponents. And on the top of his list is none other than the champion.

Rountree calls out Alex Pereira

After the win, Khalil Rountree looked a little bit overwhelmed in the best ways possible. He said in the post-match interview about how he felt “happy” after such a significant win. For him, it’s all about being ready for the next fight, and for his next fight he wants the champ.

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“In my mind I feel like it’s time to have a champion at home. I feel it’s time to fight Alex Pereira,” Rountree said.  “That’s a fight fans would want to see.” He said in the interview asking the UFC to give him a title shot in spite of the “politics” of a fighter having to climb the ranks. Will he get his demands fulfilled anytime soon? We’ll have to wait to find out.

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