DALLAS – Anthony Smith has respect for UFC 277 opponent Magomed Ankalaev,, but at the same time he doesn’t really understand the level of hype surrounding him.
Smith (36-16 MMA, 11-6 UFC) is nearly a 4-to-1 underdog on average (per BestFightOdds) and while he thinks Ankalaev (17-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) is good, he doesn’t understand why some people think he’ll get blown out of the water.
“I guess my question is, ‘What are they seeing that I don’t?'” Smith told MMA Junkie and other reporters during Wednesday’s media day. “He is good. He is very, very good. I want to be very clear about that. I don’t for a second discredit his skills in the cage. I just don’t see anything super special. You don’t have to be super special to win fights at the highest level. Basics win fights, and he’s very, very basic. His approach is very simple. He makes no mistakes. He’s never out of position, but he doesn’t always necessarily do a lot to make a lot of mistakes.
