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The light heavyweight clash between Anthony Smith and Ryan Spann was absolutely engaging till the last minute, and after 3 rounds of competitive action, the judges declared Anthony Smith the winner by a Split decision. Smith caught a nasty shot that got his eyes swollen.
Tremendous striking from Anthony Smith; he gave his all tonight and proved that he is worthy enough to fight for the prestigious light heavyweight belt as he aspires to. Ryan Spann could have dominated a little more and prevented losing twice to the same opponent.
Spann’s facial expression clearly showed that he wasn’t convinced of the decision. After Spann landed the shot that got Smith’s eye swollen, most thought it would be over for him, but he persevered and showed the world the definition of toughness.
It will be very interesting to see where Anthony Smith heads from here; a fight with someone from the top 5 could increase the chances of claiming a title shot.
The ?❤️ is the one is taking home the win via SD!
@LionheartASmith | #UFCSingapore is LIVE on @ESPNPlus pic.twitter.com/9UQBKeroSu — UFC (@ufc) August 26, 2023
Anthony Smiths Octagon interview
During the Octagon interview, Anthony Smith spoke about the swollen eye and explained how it affected him.
Smith then revealed his intentions for the future. "Man, I am a 35 year old man. I am a dad. I got 55 fights. Ryan Spann is physically superior to me; he hits hard as ****. I had my faculties about me, but it blinded me for half the round.
I couldn’t really see; I had to regroup. I had to make a decision that I am not going to go anywhere". Smith on what he wants next: "Man, I know that you are supposed to call somebody out, but Mike, I just wanna go home.
I want to sit and hang out with my wife and kids. I want to record the Believe You Me podcast with the cold beer in my hand, and we will figure it out from there".
