Anthony Smith recorded one of the most important victories of his career Saturday when he beat Devin Clark in the UFC on ESPN 18 main event.

After suffering back-to-back losses that deflated his status as a top light heavyweight contender, Smith (34-16 MMA, 9-6 UFC) faced pressure to get the job done against Clark (12-5 MMA, 6-5 UFC) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. He responded with a first-round submission for his first victory in 17 months.

With the win, Smith put himself back in the conversation of the top names at 205 pounds. He’s only had eight fights in the division, meaning there are still plenty of names “Lionheart” hasn’t faced.

What makes most sense for Smith, though? Watch the video above for thoughts and analysis on his future after UFC on ESPN 18.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2020/11/anthony-smith-next-fight-matchmaker-ufc-on-espn-18-paul-craig-luke-rockhold

Division: Heavyweight
Result: Parker Porter def. Josh Parisian via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 29-28)
Record: 13-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC
Grade: D

It wasn’t particularly technical, but Josh Parisian’s debut performance showed bags of heart, a solid gas tank and impressive durability as he dished out almost as much punishment as he received over a breathless three-round heavyweight bout that went all the way to the scorecards.

A combination of Porter’s relentless forward pressure, plus the occasion of his UFC debut, made it a tough first appearance for Parisian, who was forced to fight off multiple submission attempts and take a plethora of strikes in a back-and-forth battle that saw him lose out via unanimous decision.

Despite finding himself in a number of tricky situations on the mat, Parisian fought through on each occasion and came back swinging. But, ultimately, it wasn’t quite enough as his octagon debut ended in defeat.

It’s hard to say whether the octagon jitters were at play during Parisian’s debut showing, but he’ll be keen to return to the form that saw him win six in a row – all via knockout or TKO – to earn his spot in the big show.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/lists/ufc-on-espn-18-rookie-report-grading-the-lone-newcomer-in-las-vegas

Kevin Holland lost an upcoming main event slot due to a recent COVID-19 diagnosis, but he’s already got another fight lined up — and it will be one of the biggest names he’s ever faced.

He’ll now meet former Strikeforce middleweight champion Ronaldo Souza at UFC 256 on Dec. 12. The UFC announced the bout during Saturday night’s UFC on ESPN 18 broadcast.

Holland (20-5 MMA, 9-2 UFC) was scheduled to meet Jack Hermansson in the main event of UFC on ESPN 19 on Dec. 5, but was pulled from the fight Saturday after word of his COVID diagnosis broke. Hermansson will now fight Marvin Vettori instead.

Holland is looking to go 5-0 in 2020. He has wins over Anthony Hernandez, Joaquin Buckley, Darren Stewart and Charlie Ontiveros, with three of those victories by finish.

Souza (26-8 UFC, 9-5 UFC) makes a long-awaited octagon return. He was scheduled to fight Uriah Hall at UFC 249, but the day before the show, he became the first UFC fighter to test positive for COVID-19 during the current era and withdrew. He’ll try to shake off a two-fight skid.

Souza was initially slated to fight Vettori at UFC 256 before Vettori was shuffled to the Hermansson fight.

UFC 256, which will be held at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, will be headlined by Deiveson Figueiredo’s flyweight title defense against Brandon Moreno, with both fighters competing on 21-day turnarounds.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2020/11/kevin-holland-vs-ronaldo-jacare-souza-ufc-256-fight-booking-mma

LAS VEGAS – UFC president Dana White had rave reviews for Anthony Smith after a crucial career victory in Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 18 headliner.

Smith (33-16 MMA, 9-6 UFC) came into his light heavyweight main event against Devin Clark (12-5 MMA, 6-5 UFC) on the heels of pair of definitive losses. He needed to rebound to prove he’s still a contender, and did as much with a first-round submission win at UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

White acknowledged this was a crossroads fight for “Lionheart,” and was impressed by his response.

“He looked awesome,” White told reporters, including MMA Junkie, post-fight at UFC on ESPN 18. “He came in to make a statement, and message received. He looked good.”

It’s been a rough year for Smith both inside the octagon and out. He’s dealt with personal hardship, including a home invasion that put his family under the spotlight. His position in the 205-pound rankings was deterred, as well, but he showed reliance in beating Clark.

There was nothing smooth about the lead-up to this fight, though. After the original headliner between Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis was called off on weigh-in day, Smith’s fight was promoted to the main event, and changed to five rounds from three.

Smith remained composed throughout all the changes, however, and did his work inside the cage when the time arrived. That’s what White wants to see out of his fighters, he said, and now things are looking up for Smith.

“These are the things you’ve got to do,” White said. “You’ll see in this business a lot, guys who try to hold their spots and not fight anybody. That ain’t the way to do it. What he did tonight, that’s the way you do it. Are you still that good? If you’re still that good, then you should go out and do what you did tonight to a guy like Devin Clark: (a) young, hungry stud who wants to work his way up and steal your spot. You’ve got to go out and make a statement, and he did that tonight. People respect that.”

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2020/11/ufc-on-espn-18-dana-white-praises-anthony-smith-message-received-submission

LAS VEGAS – It was a rough run for one of the game’s good guys.

Former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Anthony Smith lost three fights out of four, got several teeth knocked out in a loss to Glover Teixeira, had to fend off an armed intruder in his family’s home, and just generally seemed to have things go wrong.

That made not just Smith’s victory over Devin Clark in the main event of UFC on ESPN 18 on Saturday, but the manner in which he did it – a textbook head-and-arm triangle in the first round – all the more satisfying.

And though it really hasn’t been all that long, Smith (34-16 MMA, 9-6 UFC) had been through so much that he had to admit the he forget what it felt like to get his hand raised at the end of the night.

“You forget what it feels like to win,” Smith told MMA Junkie at the post-fight news conference. “I remember a loss from like ’06 as an amateur. But you do forget what it feels like to win. And I put a lot of pressure on myself. I don’t know man – it’s been a crazy goddamn year.”

Exacerbating matters in Smith’s mind was the fact that he felt both of his two most recent losses – to Teixeira and Aleksandar Rakic – were bout winnable fights that slipped away.

“It hurts even more when you’re losing to people you know you can beat,” Smith said. “Had Glover been a three-round fight, I win that fight. Had I not gotten the two leg kicks and that stuff, fairly confident I beat Rakic. Both of those guys did great jobs – they’re incredible competitors. Sometimes the shoe just drops like that. But the break-in and COVID, and getting my teeth knocked out, it’s just a mess. So it feels really good to be back where I belong.”

With his 50th career fight now under his belt, Smith can look back and see how a more focused mental approach helped him get back into the win column. For all the self-doubt that came with his rough patch, it was as simple a matter as remembering what he’s capable of doing.

“You hear the whispers: ‘Where’s his head at? Is he healthy? Is he back too soon? Does he really want this? Is he too focused on the (analyst) desk? Is he worried about his pretty teeth?’” Smith said. “I hear it all. So you don’t want to prove those people right, and that’s where the pressure comes, and then it spirals down from there, because then you’re focused on everything else. (Saturday), I was just focused on reminding myself what it felt like and just going in and doing what I know I can do. I know what I’m capable of. I just have to do it.”

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2020/11/anthony-smith-admits-forget-what-it-feels-like-to-win-ufc-espn-18-video