Perennial light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith believes there’s a very real chance that he could be the first man to challenge Alex Pereira, should ‘Poatan’ walk out of Madison Square Garden with the 205-pound title on Saturday night.
Pereira, who will be competing in his third title fight in less than a year, has the opportunity to claim his second UFC championship in as many divisions when he meets former light heavyweight titleholder Jiri Prochazka to crown a new king of the division. The belt currently sits vacant after Jamahal Hill was forced to lay down the title after suffering a ruptured Achilles during a charity basketball game in July.