Former UFC title challenger Anthony Smith says his opponent for his upcoming retirement fight will surprise you.
Anthony Smith will make his last walk to and from the UFC Octagon in weeks against a to-be-named opponent. After initially teasing retirement following a lopsided defeat to Dominick Reyes at UFC 310, an emotional Smith pivoted on that stance and aims to go out with a bang.
Smith’s preparation for his fight with Reyes featured the tragic loss of his longtime friend and coach leading up to UFC 310. The tragedy left Smith an emotional wreck throughout fight week, as he admitted, and impacted his performance in the Octagon.
Now just weeks away from his last fight, Smith is set to return sometime in April. According to the man himself, Smith says fans should be excited about his retirement fight once his opponent is shared with the general public.
Anthony Smith shares what he wanted with UFC retirement fight rival
In a recent interview with Submission Radio, Smith teased what his retirement fight will look like in April.
“We have a name and a date already. It’s out of left field! That’s for sure, wasn’t on my bingo card,” Smith said. “But then you dig into it and it makes a lot of sense why they picked that one. I think they were more focused on the matchup and the potential of what the fight would look like, and less about names, legacy…
“That fits my personality more. I didn’t really care about how big of a name it is so much, I cared about what type of fight I was going to have for my last one. And I was pretty excited about this…and it’s not far from home, I obviously can’t drop anything but it’s close enough that anyone who would want to be there, would have no problem [going].”
Based on Smith’s remarks, he could potentially return for the UFC’s rumored event in Kansas City, Missouri on April 26th, close to Smith’s home and gym. As of this writing, a main event for the card has yet to be announced by the UFC.
After hanging up the MMA gloves, Smith wanted to make his Power Slap debut but was shut down by the UFC matchmakers. Smith has a bright future as a television analyst, making numerous appearances at the broadcast desk for ESPN’s UFC coverage.
Anthony Smith ignited feud with UFC icon after podcast criticism
Smith’s comments about his UFC retirement fight come amidst a budding feud with former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson. After Smith criticized Jackson’s controversial podcast episode with Bryce Mitchell, Jackson hit back in a fiery rant, threatening to assault Smith if they ran into each other in public.
Smith later clarified that his criticism wasn’t intended to fire up Jackson, and he said he was ‘shocked’ by Jackson’s fiery response. Smith and Jackson communicated through social media direct messages, and for now, things have cooled off between the two sides.
After an apparent misunderstanding between Smith and Jackson, Smith will return his attention to his final appearance in the UFC. His opponent’s name could be publicized in the coming days.