Anthony Smith has fired back at fellow light heavyweight contender Alex Pereira after Pereira labelled him as being ‘washed’.
‘Lionheart’ returned to the Believe You Me podcast with Michael Bisping following his win over Ryan Spann at UFC Singapore last weekend.
Smith edged what was a close fought battle and one which could have gone either way to retun to the win column. Victory was much needed for Anthony who came into the fight on the back of two consecutive losses to Magomed Ankalaev and Johnny Walker.
Smith and Bisping were in good spirits as they joked about the backlash that ‘Lionheart’ had received from Pereira.
Anthony Smith Criticism From Alex Pereira
Smith was taken aback by Pereira’s comments towards him. In the video interview Pereira said, “The only one’s who speak bad about me are the Anthony Smith types, Washed up vets who never amounted to anything. Who are still fighting. They’re in a really tight spot.”
Pereira continued, “Those who are already doing well, I don’t see them talking about me. You know it is just the one’s who are beneath me. Or those who tried and failed, bitter souls, like Anthony Smith. He’s a frustrated guy right? I think he was a main event right? Thanks to Jon Jones, because if it wasn’t for Jon Jones, he wouldn’t even have been in that main event.”
Anthony Smith’s Immediate Response
Whilst speaking on Sirius XM, Smith fired back at Pereira by saying “I said a bunch of nice sh*t about you, and you’re going to talk sh*t? I don’t think so. That’s not how this works… If you want a f*****g rival, you’ve got one right here. I didn’t do sh*t to you. I’ve been nothing but complimentary of him and his whole team.”
Quote from MMAJunkie.
A Sensitive Soul
Smith doubled down on his response to Pereira and remains surprised by the heat he received from ‘Poatan’. Clearly unsure about what exactly he had said wrong to offend Pereira, Smith said, “I could not have been more complimentary about Alex Pereira. That’s why I’m so confused. I called him special. That he was a special talent. The only thing that I said that you could even take negatively, my analysis was, he’s no longer the largest man in the division. He was the biggest middleweight on planet earth. So the benefits that he enjoyed at middleweight, he doesn’t enjoy at light heavyweight. I didn’t say he was a normal guy, I said he is a normal sized light heavyweight. Which is true.”
‘Lionheart’ continued, “He’s not the biggest light heavyweight in the division. Aleksander Rakic is like 250lb with abs. Magomed Ankalaev is a big dude, Johnny Walker walks around north of 240lb’s, Ryan Spann is 240lb, shredded. He is not the biggest light heavyweight. It’s a fact. You’re gonna be pissed at me for saying… You think everybody else gets mad when I say you’re the same size as everybody else? Like, stop being so fucking sensitive. I don’t know what he’s so mad about.”
Anthony Smith Calls Alex Pereira “Cry Baby”
Smith revealed that he had texted Pereira’s mentor and friend Glover Teixeira to ask what ‘Poatan’s problem was with him. Smith said that Glover had replied stating that he wasn’t sure what was happening and that he would speak with Alex.
Michael Bisping wasn’t willing to leave the conversation there and he continuously pressed for Smith to call Pereira a “Cry baby”. The two joked back and forth in a light hearted and jovial segment before Smith finally caved.
“He’s got this persona that he’s this big stoic, you know, silent killer. When in all reality, it seems like he’s pretty sensitive.” Bisping again probed for Smith to use the term “Cry Baby” to which Smith chuckled, “I’m not saying it, f**k off. I’m doing this with you.”
Smith continued, “He’s this stoic monster that everyone’s afraid of, he’s not that guy to me. We’re both fighters, we both put our pants on the same way. Like, he might knock me out but he might f*****g not too.” Again, Bisping prodded for the insult and Smith finally joked, “All right, well he’s being a sensitive little cry baby.”
The pair continued their banter with Bisping stating that “When I see Alex Pereira, he’s going to take me clean out.”
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images and Embed from Getty Images
