At the beginning of the month, Anthony Smith got the biggest win of his career, submitting Alexander Gustafsson with a fourth-round rear-naked choke at UFC Stockholm. The win silenced the critics of Smith who were of the opinion that his successful run at light heavyweight was a result of favorable matchmaking and not of Smith’s ascent to the elite levels of the game. Among those critics was eighth-ranked light heavyweight contender, Corey Anderson.
When Smith received a title shot against Jon Jones, Anderson was quick to decry “Lionheart” as a fighter who hadn’t “earned his stripes” in the division.