Anthony Smith blasts light heavyweights who turned him down for UFC 303: ‘Those guys just got exposed’

A few weeks ago, Anthony Smith was helping former light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill get ready for a co-main event fight against Carlos Ulberg at UFC 303.

As the training camp continued, Smith was in such great shape that he made the call to UFC to let them know that he was ready to accept another fight — sooner or later. What he didn’t know was only days afterward, Hill would suffer a knee injury that forced him out of his fight. It didn’t take long for UFC to take Smith up on that offer.

“I was training with Jamahal, I had already been helping him get ready for Ulberg,” Smith explained at UFC 303 media day. “I already had Ulberg on my mind for four or five weeks, trying to help Jamahal get ready for him. Jamahal was in Omaha when this whole mess kind of started. I had already been talking to Hunter [Campbell] and let Hunter know, ‘Look, I’m in shape, I’m ready to fight.’ This was before Jamahal was hurt. ‘If there’s any main event situations that pop up, anywhere you would need my help, I’m in shape and I’m ready to go.’

“Then Jamahal got hurt and I was like, I f*cking know where this is going. That wasn’t exactly the plan, but it is what it is. But I liked the Ulberg fight, I like his style. I like his game. He was streaking. He’s hot right now. It’s a tough fight but I felt familiar with him. So I was willing to step in and do that.”

Of course, Smith barely had time to book a plane ticket to Las Vegas before he received word that Ulberg was also out of the fight after falling victim to an injury of his own.

Smith could’ve easily told UFC that he was going to pass on fighting on short notice, especially against a totally different opponent, but he decided to stay on the card.

So Smith waited to find out who UFC would match him up against. When he finally received word that middleweight contender Roman Dolidze accepted the fight with plans to move up to light heavyweight for at least one night, Smith was happy he had a new opponent, but he was also severely disappointed nobody at 205 pounds accepted the opportunity.

“As far as impact goes, I think him moving up says a lot about my division,” Smith said. “So if you guys want to do your jobs, go ask every available light heavyweight why there’s a middleweight fighting this fight. They’re going to make up a bunch of shit but I think you guys can read between the lines. Every single one of them said no.

“I’m the veteran. I’m the gatekeeper. Whatever those guys say … ‘Well, why does Anthony get paid so much and why does he get this opportunity and why does he do this?’ Because I’m willing to do the shit that you guys won’t do. Me fighting a middleweight on Saturday proves that to everybody. I think all those guys just got exposed.”

Despite his obvious disdain for the light heavyweights who passed up on fighting him, Smith appreciates that Dolidze was willing to take the risk they refused.

“Serious shout out to Roman Dolidze,” Smith said. “That takes balls. The dude flew back to the states to step in there, a weight class up, against a ranked opponent. That’s a big deal. I think he should get a lot of credit for that.”

The situation isn’t ideal for either fighter, because ultimately Smith and Dolidze are both competing on short notice at UFC 303 and one of them isn’t even really a light heavyweight.

Because he’s facing a legitimate 185-pounder, Smith understands that he’s putting a lot on the line as well, but that’s never scared him before and he’s certainly not going to start now.

“I’m not really a guy who likes change all that much. So there was that initial, ‘Aww, motherf*cker,’” Smith said reacting to the opponent switch. “Like, goddammit, I was pretty comfortable at that point with the Ulberg fight.

“It’s hard to not want to fight a guy like Dolidze, and I mean that with the utmost respect. He’s an absolute dog. He brings the fight. You don’t have to convince him to fight. He’s got a great skill set. I think his style meshes well with mine … I think we’re going to have a goddamn barnburner. He’s not going to take a backward step and neither am I. I like guys like that. I’ve got a lot of respect for guys like that. That part’s exciting and it gives you a little bit of nerves. I like that feeling. That’s why I still do this. He makes me a little bit nervous and I like it.”