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2020 hasn't been good to Anthony Smith. The former UFC Light Heavyweight title challenger Anthony Smith was defeated by Aleksandar Rakić in a dominant one-sided decision loss, with one judge scoring the contest 30-26 and the other two scoring it 30-27.
By the time the third round was winding down, it was clear who was going to walk out as the winner of the UFC Vegas main event. It marked Anthony Smith's third loss in four fights.
Anthony Smith reflected on the defeat, and spoke of the possibility of moving down to the Middleweight division and what's been going wrong for him lately (H/T MMAjunkie.com):
“I’ve never been one of the guys that’s out here pining and calling for more weight classes, but in these last couple of fights, that’s kind of where my brain goes. I’m just too big for 185, and you start getting into these bigger, stronger, taller, longer guys. They’re just so strong. I think I got some big decisions to make in my career and figure out where we go from here. It’s super frustrating to lose to a guy you feel you can beat,” Smith said
Anthony Smith stated that making 185 pounds is extremely tough and would require a lifestyle change. He also hinted at the possibility of moving up to Heavyweight:
“I don’t know. (185lbs) is still really tough. It’s a total lifestyle change, and that’s year-round. It’s not like one of those things where I can get into camp and change my diet and cut down. It’s a complete lifestyle change. I guess that’s one of the options. I guess the other option is to take some time off and get bigger. I don’t know. I’ve got some things to decide on,” Smith said.
Does a division change make sense for Anthony Smith?
In Anthony Smith's case, it's hard to imagine him faring well at Middleweight, especially since he stated that he felt like he was fighting someone in a different weight class against Aleksandar Rakić.
Anthony Smith can likely make the Middleweight limit, but it could present quite a struggle. Anthony Smith last fought at Middleweight over two years ago, losing to Thiago Santos (who has also moved up to Light Heavyweight).
However, the 20-pound additional weight cut is no easy task. For his size, Anthony Smith is perhaps best for Light Heavyweight, but he's found himself outclassed on three occasions since 2019.
