Anthony Smith said he knew taking the fight against Khalil Rountree on short notice would not benefit him. Despite this, “Lionheart” did not regret taking the bout and praised the opponent for his performance.
The two faced each other at UFC Fight Night 233, where Smith stepped in on short notice to replace Azamat Murzakanov. The 35-year-old said he liked “doing crazy sh*t” but later saw himself being defeated by the opponent. In the event, Rountree Jr. prevailed after making the Smith wobble in the second and third rounds, which later resulted in a TKO win.
For Smith, the chance of experiencing this tragedy was expected, especially without the proper time to train in the camp. According to the fighter, he also experienced issues with his weight cut and his left-hand vision.
“I knew I was in an uphill battle,” Smith said on the Believe You Me podcast. “I knew the position I put myself in was not going to benefit me. I knew that I would kind of put myself behind the gun, and I was fine with that. I knew exactly what I was getting myself into, and I knew what I was up against. I had quite a bit of weight to cut. That was the bigger issue.
“… I wasn’t seeing the left hand. He was faster than I was, and he was faster than I prepared for. Some of that is I wasn’t in fight shape. I was seeing things, but my body just wasn’t reacting fast enough because I haven’t been in camp, and that’s no excuse. That’s my fault. I put myself in that position. I knew it was a possibility.”
Aside from this, Smith admitted that Rountree performed incredibly in the fight, especially in terms of speed, which he had a hard time matching.
“He was just way faster than I had anticipated,” Smith shared. “I knew he was going to be fast. It was shocking how fast he is, how he goes from 0-100 so fast. I struggled with the speed in the fight, and I didn’t really have any other options.”
In the end, while the fight gave him a disappointing 2-3 record in his last five bouts and the descent to the lower rank, Smith is determined to continuously fight. The fighter then pointed out that the result of his recent fight was just “a tough spot,” adding things would have been different if he had more time to prepare.
