Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — Former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Anthony Smith will look to get back in the win column, and secure his first win on Brazilian soil at UFC 301 this Saturday.
“Lionheart” has been a staple of the UFC for years, but is 1-3 in his past four and coming off a loss to Khalil Rountree Jr. In Rio, he’s matched up with the hard-hitting Vitor Petrino, and despite some recent setbacks that in part led him to going incommunicado for a bit, Smith sounded positive during Wednesday’s UFC 301 media day.
“Man I’m in a good spot. I think I just had to make some mental adjustments and just sit back and kind of figure out what I want to do and why I still do this. Just a lot of questions,” Smith (37-19) said, asked about his decision to cut off contact for a time. “But I’m in a good spot, I had a really good camp, I had a lot of fun. And I don’t know, we’re here. I’m excited about this fight. And I think a lot of that is fight related. I’m excited about the match-up. It’s a fun fight, I like Brazil— they don’t like me so much, but I can still love them.”
Having fun is key, Smith later explained, when comments made by Alexander Volkanovski about staying busy were mentioned.
“It’s the most important part. If I’m not having fun, I might as well not do it. I fight like sh*t when I’m not having fun,” Smith stated. “If I’m not enjoying the process, and that team atmosphere, there’s no point in me doing this. So the happier I am, the more dangerous I am. And I’m in a really good spot. I’m happy.”
Smith added that where he’s at in his personal life – not just his family life, but day-to-day, where he’s at in his head – “makes a big difference on my performances. And I’m in a great place.”
Having said that he’s excited for the match-up, just what does Anthony Smith see in Vitor Petrino that has him feeling upbeat? As he explained to Cageside Press, “I just think he’s good. I think he’s got a good skill set, I think that he’s going to be a staple in the division for a long time. I like his style, I like his explosiveness and his power. And I think he’ll bring the fight to me. And those are the fights I want to get into.”
Winning in Brazil would also mean a lot to “Lionheart.”
“Yeah that’d be cool. Getting a win here in Rio, in Brazil, a submission win would be a lot of fun. Jiu-jitsu has always been my base. I just didn’t want to go my whole career without winning in Brazil. Because I like Brazil so much. I have a lot of fun here, I love the Brazilian fans, I love the culture. I’m trying to learn Portuguese, it’s not going well. But I would love to get a win in Brazil. That would mean a lot to me, it really would mean a lot to me.”
Watch the full UFC 301 media day appearance by Anthony Smith above.
