DALLAS – Anthony Smith plans on bringing the fight to Magomed Ankalaev.
Smith (36-16 MMA, 11-6 UFC) meets Ankalaev (17-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) on Saturday’s UFC 277 main card at American Airlines Center in Dallas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC/ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
Ankalaev’s most recent three wins over ranked opposition have gone the distance. But Smith has finished all but two of his 36 professional wins. Having been in numerous wars, too, “Lionheart” wants to drag Ankalaev into deep waters.
“Man, he’s good – he really is,” Smith said at Thursday’s UFC 277 pre-fight news conference. “He doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. He’s never out of position. But I’m of the belief that Magomed Ankalaev has been in 18 mixed martial arts competitions and zero f*cking fights. So, Saturday night he’s going to be in a fight.”
Ankalaev’s response was an unexpected one. When asked where he would rank Smith in comparison to past opponents, he said the former title challenger is past his prime.
“I don’t know exactly where to put him on a scale. I think his time is over now, and I’ll show it on Saturday,” Ankalaev said. “His time is passed at this point.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 277.
