UFC fighter Anthony Smith has accepted Alex Pereira‘s challenge for a grappling match, stating he would “choke the sh*t out of him” and take his $50,000 wager, following his upset win over Vitor Petrino at UFC 301.
Anthony Smith’s got something to say. He’s ready to take Alex Pereira’s cash and submit him, given the UFC can arrange the light heavyweight champion’s challenge.
Smith recently scored a surprise win over Vitor Petrino. A first-round submission in UFC 301’s featured bout. Before the UFC’s return to Brazil, Pereira threw down a challenge. He wanted a grappling match with Smith and was willing to put $50,000 on the line. Smith could even start in a dominant position.
Smith’s response to Pereira’s comments? It came post-win.
“Alex Pereira said he’d put up [$50,000], and I could start on his back? Hooks in, five minutes to finish him, and he’s putting $50K on it? I’ll take his $50K. I’ll take his money,” Smith declared at the UFC 301 post-fight press conference.
And if he starts on Pereira’s back? “I’ll choke the sh*t out of him, 100 percent.”
Smith walked into the fight against the undefeated Petrino on a losing streak. He’d lost to Khalil Rountree and dropped three of his last four matches. He was also one of the card’s biggest underdogs.
Smith, known as “Lionheart”, has faced some flak from the MMA community. Criticism for his analysis of Pereira’s skills in the octagon. He swears it’s all analytical, not trash talk.
At Saturday night’s presser, Smith was asked about Pereira’s black belt. Was it “fraudulent”? Smith had previously questioned Pereira’s black belt status to media members.
“I don’t know what I meant when I said that,” Smith admitted. “I would never call anybody’s black belt fraudulent. Maybe I meant, I don’t know, like, I don’t believe that Alex Pereira is probably a high-level black belt in the gi. I don’t think he’s, probably, like crazy competitive, like in an IBJJF format, but I would never call anybody’s jiu-jitsu black belt fraudulent.”
Smith believes Pereira has put in the time. If the black belt’s from Glover Teixeira, Smith’s not going to argue. “I think there’s levels to black belts, you know what I mean? But I would respect his black belt just like I would anybody else’s.”