‘Feels kinda wrong’ … Ex-UFC champ unsure if Anthony Smith is hall of fame worthy

Anthony Smith has had a great career in the UFC.

After almost 60 MMA fights, the former UFC title -Uitdager Anthony Smith will call it a career at UFC Kansas City this Saturday when he meets the Chinese knock -out artist Mingyang Zhang.

Smith may not have the best record in the Octagon on 13-11, but there is no denial of the level of competition he went against and fights against two current champions in Magomed Ankalaev and Jon Jones, three former champions, two of which are brutally eliminated and five title days.

The biggest victories of the UFC veteran came to Alexander Gustafsson and Volkan Ozdemir through submission.

After his only title fight in 2019, Great Jon Jones of all time praised, and said he had the 'heart of a lion' to participate in five rounds with him and to choose not to get the easy way out of their fight.

However, not everyone shares the same opinion about the 36-year-old, in which a former world champion wonders if he is worth being in the UFC Hall of Fame.

Photo by Ian Maule/Getty images

Aljamain Sterling questions if Anthony Smith has done enough for UFC Hall of Fame Spot

While 'Lionheart' leaves the inheritance this weekend in UFC Kansas City, former UFC champion and one of the largest Bantam weights of all time, Aljamain Sterling, whether or not Smith should have to access the UFC Hall of Fame for its performance.

“What do you give him Hall of Fame respectively?” Sterling said about Smith on his YouTube channel.

“It is not 38 wins in UFC,” said Sterling about Smith's 38-21 pro-record.

'He had a great run, but I don't know if it's [hall of fame worthy].

'Is there a fight that you could give him a Hall of Fame fight as they did with Izzy [Israel Adesanya] And Kelvin Gastelum? Perhaps something like that could, but I don't know if he has one of those fights.

“But even with that, I don't know if it's enough,” sterling added.

Aljamain Sterling suggests a different kind of recognition for the UFC official period from Anthony Smith

Over the years we have seen former champion after former champion enters the UFC Hall of Fame.

Owner of different UFC records, Donald Cerrone is the only non-champion that is included in the modern wing of the UFC Hall of Fame, which makes many people wonder if we will get others from his caliber, as Jim Miller added, the leader of the UFC of all time in victories and total fights.

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Sterling's two cents on what is needed to make the UFC Hall of Fame?

“I almost think that Hall of Fame should be reserved for champions that set off, do spectacular things, perhaps go in different weight classes, and they also have a really good run, where they set a record for defenses and things like that,” said Sterling.

“That makes it special because nobody could not come in.

'I don't know if you give Jim Miller, Anthony Smith a Hall of Fame [induction]But I do think there should be a kind of recognition, perhaps as a 20 -win club or a term of office.

“If you have been to the company for ten years, that means something, but you are not technically a Hall of Famer for all your awards of what you have achieved,” Sterling explained.

“It feels quite wrong because they have achieved something, but I think the ultimate achievement will be a champion.

“Do you give him a UFC Hall of Fame shot?” Sterling said about the 13-11 UFC record of Smith. “I don't know. I try to be honest …”

Unlike Anthony Smith, Aljamain Sterling is probably a Shoo-in for the UFC Hall of Fame in the near future, after he had successfully defended his Bantamweight title against Petr Yan, TJ Dillashaw and Henry Cejudo.

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