Anthony Smith has spoken out for the first time since UFC 310.
'Lionheart' suggested he will most likely retire after suffering a second-round TKO loss to fellow light heavyweight title contender Dominick Reyes on Saturday night in Las Vegas.
The 38-21 MMA veteran broke down in tears while discussing his fighting future following the recent death of his longtime coach, Scott Morton.
Anthony Smith has been quiet since then, but now the 36-year-old has opened up about his recent loss and how he is thinking about potentially retiring after taking a few days to decompress.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Anthony Smith provides pension update
Anthony Smith's combat sports career remains in limbo after UFC 310.
The popular analyst admits he dreams of an ideal scenario presenting itself that would allow him to return to the Octagon for a real retirement fight.
It remains to be seen if that will become a reality or if we have seen the last of him in MMA.
“There's probably a circumstance where I would do another one,” Smith told Sirius XM.
“I think that's probably the answer. It would have to be the perfect scenario, the timing, the opponent and the perfect situation. I know it doesn't exist for 99.9 percent of fighters, but I'm going out on my own terms.
“I hadn't even thought about it before this fight. But having the opportunity to have all the people who supported me, give them the opportunity to come one last time and experience fight week, knowing it's the last time.
“To be able to tell everyone in that process what they have meant to me all these years, and I don't remember it as a last flight. Win, lose or draw, who cares***? A final goodbye would be cool, I think.
“I want to put myself in a position where I know this is it. This is the last chance you have to get it right. You will be given another chance to achieve the performance you longed for.
“I don't know. It would be nice to know that this is it. I only have to do this one more time.
“No [it’s not a retirement]. It's not necessarily not a pension. However, it is not more than one.”
Michael Bisping explains why Anthony Smith should fight again
Anthony Smith shares a podcast with former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping.
Understandably, Smith was missing from the final episode as he focused on recovering from his loss.
The UFC Hall of Famer explained why he doesn't think his friend will or should retire from MMA.
“I don't think he should have taken that fight at all,” Bisping said.
“But I don't think he's going to retire. I think when he watches that back, he'll be ashamed of watching it, and it'll inspire him to come back. The world doesn't deserve to remember him like this…
“Maybe it was therapeutic in some ways, but I would love to see him fight again. This is not a sport you play, which is why Dana White says Chris Weidman and Clay Guida should retire. That bastard will stay with you.
When he fights, I call him and say, 'If you're going to do this, do it for the right reasons. Train like you're training for a world title fight, like you're fighting Jon Jones. Leave no stone unturned, otherwise if you're not willing to do it, you shouldn't even be thinking about it in the first place!”
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