Anthony Smith found out he was losing an opponent at the same time as everyone else, except he was on TV while it happened.
Following the UFC 282 main event, which saw the vacant title fight between Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev end in a split draw, fans were wondering what would happen with the light heavyweight division moving forward.
They did not have to wait long however, as Dana White revealed that he was booking Glover Teixeira, who was originally supposed to be fighting former champ Jiří Procházka for the title at UFC 282, to take on #7-ranked Jamahal Hill, who is riding a three-fight winning streak. The bout is scheduled to go down at UFC 283.
Anthony Smith Gets Heart Broken On Live TV
While surprised, fans were generally welcoming to the idea of Glover Teixeira vs Jamahal Hill being booked for UFC 283. However, there was one person who was not happy about it: Anthony Smith, who was supposed to fight Hill at UFC Fight Night 221, in March.
Smith was working the analyst desk for UFC 282, and was in the middle of the post-fight broadcast when news of Teixeira vs Hill broke, which was apparently not something the UFC warned “Lionheart” about beforehand.
As a result, video was posted to Twitter to highlight Smith’s live reaction to the news, clearly being caught off guard and being complimented by Jon Anik for handling the situation.
“Uh, yeah that’s a problem for me. Yeah, that’s a big problem for me. Yeah, I don’t know,” Smith responded when asked for his reaction to the news.
“I have so much respect for you, digesting this news right now, because as your friend and colleague, to have that Jamahal Hill fight go away, and now he’s going to be fighting Glover Teixeira for the title. I don’t even know what to say, man,” Anik said.
There is nothing that can equate to the moment that Anthony Smith experienced, having to process this news in real time, in front of the public eye. However, he certainly handled it like a pro, leaving only the hope that something equally valuable comes along for him, to replace the bout with Jamahal Hill.
How would you have reacted if you were in the shoes of Anthony Smith?
