WASHINGTON – Anthony Smith thinks Corey Anderson chose the easier path to a title shot.
Anderson is slated to headline UFC Rio Rancho on Feb. 15 in what is being dubbed a No. 1 contender fight vs. Jan Blachowicz.
Smith (32-14 MMA, 8-4 UFC), who challenged Jon Jones for the title earlier this year, has been calling out Anderson for a while now. But instead Anderson (13-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) will rematch Blachowicz, whom he already beat in 2015.
“Honestly, he’s easy to talk (expletive) to. He talks like he’s got a flip-flop in his mouth, and his analogies don’t make any sense, so it’s fun too,” Smith told MMA Junkie. “He’s a fun guy to go back and forth with, which is why I was hoping we would fight. That would be a really fun build-up, but I think he took the easier route, which, if we’re looking at career trajectories, it’s probably the smart move.”
After taking out Johnny Walker in the first round at UFC 244, Anderson demanded a title shot, but he’ll have to take at least one more step before he gets his wish. He received quite a bit of criticism for his choice of words from UFC president Dana White, and Smith thinks Anderson is acting entitled.
“So he’s talking about all these things that he thinks he deserves, and he’s mad at me. He’s mad at Thiago Santos because we came in the division – I came in the division and had three fights and got a title fight,” Smith said. “Corey Anderson has been in the division his entire career and hasn’t even sniffed a title shot yet. I understand why he’s upset about that, but that’s not my fault. He needs to be mad at himself.”
Another thing that rubs Smith the wrong way is Anderson’s comments towards Jones and how his recent wins have come over former middleweights. Smith is one of those fighters to fall short, but he was a pretty big 185 pounder, which is why he thinks Anderson’s comments aren’t relevant.
“He turned me down a couple of times on my way up, and you know, it is what it is. I’m used to it by now; lots of people turn me down,” Smith said. “But then he not only turned down the fight with me, then he would do interviews talking trash about Jon’s out here beating middleweights, and Anthony Smith is just a middleweight. Listen, I’m not just a middleweight anymore. Not only was I the biggest middleweight in the division, I’m not the smallest 205’er. So, I don’t know where he’s going with that, but it’s a really silly dig at me, and it’s not what he’s saying, it’s the point he’s trying to make.”
Anthony Smith: Corey Anderson fighting Jan Blachowicz instead of me 'probably the smart move'