‘I Just Don’t See Anything Super Special’- Anthony Smith Confident He Can Force Magomed Ankalaev to Make Mistakes at UFC 277 Fight
UFC light heavyweight Anthony Smith doesn’t really see what all the hype is about when it comes to his UFC 277 opponent, Magomed Ankalaev. ‘Lionheart’ has faced the who’s who of the 205-pound division and he doesn’t believe that Ankalaev has anything to offer that he already hasn’t seen before.
Having faced the likes of Jon Jones and Glover Teixeira, it’s safe to say Anthony Smith’s sample size is fairly large.
While Smith recognized Magomed Ankalaev as someone with a comprehensive skillset, he simply didn’t see any stand-out trait that could cause him problems in the fight. However, Smith has certainly taken note of his positional awareness and certainly isn’t taking the rising contender lightly.
“I guess my question is, ‘What are they seeing that I don’t?’” Smith told MMA Junkie and other reporters during Wednesday’s media day. “He is good. He is very, very good. I want to be very clear about that. I don’t for a second discredit his skills in the cage. I just don’t see anything super special.”
“You don’t have to be super special to win fights at the highest level. Basics win fights, and he’s very, very basic. His approach is very simple. He makes no mistakes. He’s never out of position, but he doesn’t always necessarily do a lot to make a lot of mistakes.” [h/t mmajunkie.com]
“A guy like that, you’ve got to get him outside of his box. The mistakes are going to be made when he’s panicking, trying to get back in his box. I think that’s what I do best. Do you know what I mean? I create chaos. I get people out of their comfort zone. I take them to places they don’t like to be.”
Anthony Smith has built his career on grit and durability and he sees his own ability to last longer as a sign of strength. He’s riding a three-fight win streak and a win over the 17-1 Ankalaev would propel him back into the title picture.
Experience is certainly on his side considering he has accrued more than double the wins of Magomed Ankalaev.
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