When Devin Clark got a change in opponent, he couldn’t help but get excited at the bigger opportunity.
Clark (12-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) was initially scheduled to face Shamil Gamzatov at UFC on ESPN 18 on Nov. 28, but after Gamzatov was forced out due to visa issues, Clark drew former light heavyweight title challenger Anthony Smith.
Although Smith (32-16 MMA, 8-6 UFC) has lost three of his past four, he remains a top-ranked light heavyweight and one of the more notable names in the division, which makes it a much more intriguing matchup for Clark.
“After the Alonzo Menifield fight, me and the team, we felt we deserved a top 15 opponent and then when we didn’t get one,” Clark told MMA Junkie. “We were a little bit bummed, but this is the sport.
“We take fights. I don’t like to turn down fights, so we got Shamil Gamzatov, and we were definitely getting prepared for that, ready to beat him and move on, and that didn’t happen and then we got Anthony Smith. We’re like, ‘Holy (expletive), really? OK cool. Let’s go.’ We’ve been ready for this, and we’ve been waiting for a good opportunity like this to move up.”
Clark already has competed against the division’s elite such as current light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz and top contender Aleksandar Rakic. Although he was stopped by both, he saw it as a necessary experience to help propel him to this spot.
Clark is currently riding a two-fight winning streak, most recently picking up his biggest win to date over the formerly unbeaten Alonzo Menifield at UFC 250. With a win over Smith, Clark expects to have a number next to his name.
“It better be at least a top 10 ranking,” Clark said. “If not, then I’ll be pretty mad, but I’m gonna go out there and earn it. I’m gonna earn my spot, wherever they put me. It’s gonna be earned. However I finish him or win the fight, my goal is to say Devin Clark deserves to be No. 7 or fight a top five guy. … I know where I belong. I know I’m in that top 10, top five category.”
Smith has struggled of late, suffering back-to-back one-sided losses to Glover Teixeira and Rakic. But in both fights, Smith’s toughness was on full display, so Clark knows not to underestimate him despite his recent skid.
“I like Anthony as a fighter because he’s a tough fighter, and I believe in myself as being a tough fighter, and I think that’s just a really good matchup for the fans to see, who’s gonna be more tough and last the 15 minutes in this fight,” Clark said. “But we’re pretty opposite in styles, I feel, him being striker, jiu-jitsu stuff like that. Mine’s wrestling, power, speed, striking. It’s power striking. It’s not all that technical, so we’re kinda pretty opposite of each other, so I think that makes it a good fight for us.”
UFC on ESPN 18’s Devin Clark sees Anthony Smith as top-10 proving ground: ‘I know I belong’
