UFC light heavyweight Anthony Smith feels Jan Blachowicz vs. Magomed Ankalaev deserved a decisive outcome on the scorecards.
Blachowicz and Ankalaev fought to a split draw in their five-round main event at UFC 282 last weekend. After their draw resulted in a still-vacant light heavyweight title, Jamahal Hill and Glover Teixeira will fight for the belt next month.
Blachowicz and Ankalaev were supposed to fight three rounds as the UFC 282 co-headliner before Jiří Procházka withdrew and vacated the title. On just weeks’ notice, the two light heavyweights needed to prepare for a five-rounder as opposed to a three-rounder.
The fight still offered some entertaining moments, including Blachowicz’s leg kicks that stifled Ankalaev. Despite Blachowicz’s early success, most fighters felt Ankalaev did enough to earn the win on the scorecards.
Smith, a former title challenger, is in the minority when it comes to how he scored the fight.
During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, Smith revealed how he scored Blachowicz/Ankalaev.
“Jan Blachowicz, in my opinion,” Smith said. “The first three rounds. I thought 2 and 3 were super decisive, 4 and 5 extremely decisive. I didn’t see a 10-8 in the fifth round, that’s me personally. And I thought Jan won the first round…I thought it was 3-2 Blachowicz.”
Smith went on to opine that Ankalaev winning would’ve served his career better and set up a precedent for a future rematch.
Smith lost to Ankalaev in his last fight via second-round TKO after he suffered a leg injury and took hard ground-and-pound shots. Leading into the fight, Smith dismissed Ankalaev’s skillset and feels he was overrated by most of the fans and media.
Smith will return to the Octagon in March as he looks to get back in the win column after the loss to Ankalaev. After Blachowicz and Ankalaev fought to a draw, Smith could potentially face either of them depending on how things play out.
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
Conor McGregor Teases Future Run At Political Office
Hotel Employee Sues Chael Sonnen After Alleged Assault
Bobby Green Names The Only Fighter He’s “Afraid” To Fight
Watch: Jake Paul Collapses YouTuber In Impromptu Sparring Session
A leading source for MMA News since 2002. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google News.