Slamming a $50K Wager, Alex Pereira Shuts Down Anthony Smith – “Gives Him 5 Minutes”

Anthony Smith is all set to feature at UFC 301 next in his career. The light heavyweight fighter is all set to take on Vitor Petrino in Brazil. Smith currently holds a record of 37-19-0 and will look to win the belt soon. However, before his UFC 301 fight, he received a special message from champion Alex Pereira.

Pereira put on a dominant show in his UFC 300 fight against Jamahal Hill and ended the fight in the first round. Despite his victory, Anthony Smith doesn’t quite feel he is the best. In response to the claims, ‘Poatan’ has issued a new challenge for Smith.

Alex Pereira challenges Anthony Smith for a bout

Despite being a former two-division champion, Alex Pereira still has his share of critics. In a recent interview, 35-year-old Anthony Smith criticized the Brazilian. In response to his criticism, the lightweight champion has issued a challenge to Smith. Speaking on the Connect Cast, Alex Pereira challenged Smith to a grappling match with $50K on the line. The 36-year-old wants to fight before he defends his LHW title later this year. In the interaction, ‘Poatan’ revealed that he would let Smith take his back and “give him five minutes” to win the fight.

Do you think Anthony Smith will agree to the challenge? Both fighters have been constantly engaged in a lot of social media brawls. Smith is currently ranked as the #10 ranked fighter in the division. However, he is yet to feature in a title fight. ‘Lionheart’ recently appeared for an interview with MMA Fighting and shared his opinion about the champion.

Anthony Smith feels Alex Pereira is very one-dimensional

There are very few fighters in the UFC who have achieved the same success as Alex Pereira. The 36-year-old in a very short period has won two belts in the UFC. His recent performance at UFC 300 against former champion Jamahal Hill has caught the attention of most. While the Brazilian did receive a lot of accolades for his performance, Anthony Smith doesn’t quite believe he is the best. In a recent interview before his UFC 301 fight, he shared his opinion on ‘Poatan’.

The 35-year-old said, “He has a very limited skill set. He is very very dangerous at one thing. And mediocre at the rest. Instead of making it seem like I am talking sh*t about him, I’m building him up. That’s amazing that he is able to do what he’s been able to do at this level for this amount of time.” 

Smith’s claims do raise some eyebrows. Hopefully, Anthony Smith will take up the challenge and finally test himself against one of the best in the division. Will he be able to defeat the ‘Poatan’? Drop your views in the comments below.