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The main card of the UFC 261 got off to a flying start as Anthony Smith secured a doctor’s stoppage win to beat Jimmy Crute. The fight lasted all of five minutes as the doctor rightfully stopped the light heavyweight match after the first round.
Crute started the fight well with his leg kicks and seemed to catch Smith nicely with one of them. However, ‘Lionheart’ got into his own and started using his jabs to keep ‘The Brute’ at bay. Additionally, his jabs started showing the damage that Crute’s face sustained throughout the round.
The @lionheartasmith leg kick that did the damage 😱
Stream #UFC261 on ESPN+ ▶️ https://t.co/11j8ptNbRf pic.twitter.com/U9qJx3XkEf
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 25, 2021
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Meanwhile, Crute kept plucking away with some shots here and there, but consistently hit some good leg kicks. However, his kicks weren’t the ones that landed the major damage. Smith landed his first kick of the fight as his toe connected with Crute’s knee.
Something went horribly wrong as Crute’s leg immediately went dead, and he couldn’t put weight on it from thereon. However, being the brave fighter he is, Crute carried on with one leg and took Smith down twice to see out the last two minutes of the round.
However, after he tried to stand up and show the doctor that he could fight, the doctor waived it off. Every time Crute took a step back, he put a lot of weight on his left leg, and his ankle buckled. Following the fight, the light heavyweight fighters shared a moment of respect and showed a lot of goodwill.
Anthony Smith and his prestigious career in the light heavyweight division
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Anthony Smith has been in there with the best of the best and has competed for the light heavyweight title against Jon Jones. He has fought 51 times now and extended his record to 35-16 with this win over Jimmy Crute.
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via Imago
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – NOVEMBER 28: Anthony Smith reacts after submitting Devin Clark in their light heavyweight bout during the UFC Fight Night at UFC APEX on November 28, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
He was ranked number six in the official UFC rankings, and this win will surely help him elevate that. ‘The 32-year-old ‘Lionheart’ will look to mount another run at Jan Blachowicz’s title. Hence, it will be interesting to see where he goes from here and if he can capitalize on this victory.
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Do you think Anthony Smith can beat Jan Blachowicz? What did you make of his fight at UFC 261?
Read More: Daniel Cormier-Jon Jones: The Intense Unfinished Rivalry
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