Anthony Smith knows he's not currently in the title picture, but he hopes he gets the chance to face Alex Pereira one day.
The two have had altercations in the past, but Smith insists they are not personal. UFC light heavyweight champion Pereira (10-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) knocked out Jamahal Hill in his first title defense at UFC 300 and is currently awaiting his next challenger.
Meanwhile, Smith (37-19 MMA, 12-9 UFC) will take on up-and-comer Vitor Petrino (11-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) at UFC 301 on May 4 in Rio. ) to play against. He thinks a matchup with Pereira could be interesting for both players if Smith rises to the top of the division again.
“Yeah, he's a fun guy. He and I have exchanged words,” Smith told Submission Radio. “I don't think there's any real beef there, but he and I definitely have something and if the opportunity arises, we'll both jump at it.
“Oh my gosh, we’re kind of on a roll here and if we could put ourselves in a situation where things were going well and the timing was going to work out, we’d both jump at the chance. And I don’t know why that is. …I don’t know – the real thing recognizes the real thing a little bit.
Smith also sees a stylistic matchup with Pereira as effective.
“I'm probably one of the few guys that's going to go into the fire with him, and he knows that,” Smith said. “Is (Magomed) Ankalaev going to stand in the pocket and trade for Alex Pereira and really play that game? Probably not. You know what I mean? Probably not just him, but other This is probably the worst matchup in the division for everyone. That guy is like a boogeyman floating around.
“But yeah, I like it… I like having a little bit of stability within the department. It was great to see him win the title and get it back, if for no other reason than to put it down. But I like it (the Pereira fight). I also like the game. I like his game a lot. It's fun.”
For more information on the card, visit MMA Junkie's UFC 301 event hub.
The story originally appeared on MMA Junkie
