"My family and myself sacrifice a lot" - Anthony Smith details why he lost his cool after submitting Ryan Spann

Ryan Spann, Anthony Smith, Herb Dean [Image Courtesy: @ufc on Instagram]
Ryan Spann, Anthony Smith, Herb Dean [Image Courtesy: @ufc on Instagram]

Following Anthony Smith's dominant first-round victory over Ryan Spann last weekend, 'Lionheart' could be seen shouting at his opponent, forcing security to step into the octagon.

Speaking to Michael Bisping in the post-fight interview, Smith stated that he felt disrespected by Spann's pre-fight comments. Smith has since made an appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani. During the show, he went into further detail about what took place post-fight.

Smith stated that he essentially wanted Spann to rethink the pre-fight comments that dismissed the skills Smith has picked up over the course of his 52-fight career.

Anthony Smith also gave some insight into why he felt so aggravated by Spann's comments. Considering the fact he has dedicated his entire life to MMA, he does not think it is right that people such as Spann discredit his achievements.

Anthony Smith had the following to say:

"My family, and myself, sacrifice a lot so that I can be in the position that I'm in. I miss out on a lot of things, I carry a lot of guilt with me... I could have been a doctor with the amount of time that I've put into this sport. I've sacrificed my entire adult life to try to be the best that I can be."

Anthony Smith reveals his daughter has "PTSD" from him leaving to fight/train

Anthony Smith continued the discussion surrounding how much of his life has been dedicated to mixed martial arts. He stated that his daughter went into hysterics the night before because she was afraid he was going to leave her. Anthony Smith said:

"Last night, putting my kids to bed. It's Sunday night, and my four-year-old goes into a hysterical mess. And she's just yelling and screaming that she wants me to hold her. And then she starts screaming that I don't want you to go, I don't want you to go. Over and over and over. And I was so confused... She's used to waking up every morning with me being gone and so, like, she's got PTSD of me leaving."

You can check out the full episode of The MMA Hour below:

youtube-cover

Quick Links

App download animated image Get the free App now