If there were any questions remaining about Anthony Smith’s legitimacy as a top contender in the light heavyweight division, he gave all the answers this past Saturday with a fourth-round submission win against Alexander Gustafsson.
Despite knockouts against former champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Rashad Evans as well as a submission victory versus former title contender Volkan Oezdemir, Smith was still fighting an uphill battle that he deserved to stand across the Octagon from Jon Jones in March.
Heading into his main event fight this past weekend, Smith was once again a decided underdog until he wrapped up a rear naked choke to tap out Gustafsson becoming only the fourth fighter in the past seven years to hand him a loss.