Even though UFC employs Anthony Smith as a desk analyst, he learned that he had lost his headliner at the same time as everyone else.
Fans were curious about the future of the light heavyweight division after the Jan Blachowicz vs. Magomed Ankalaev bout for the vacant championship ended in a split draw in the UFC 282 main event.
Dana White was dismayed by what he’d seen in the UFC 282 main event and called it ‘terrible’.
In fact it was so terrible, UFC announced right then and there they booked Glover Teixeira to face #3-ranked Jamahal Hill for the still vacant title.
Even though many were surprised, fans accepted the news of the match between Glover Teixeira vs. Jamahal Hill being scheduled for UFC 283. However, Anthony Smith was not thrilled about it. This is because he was scheduled to face Hill at UFC on ESPN headliner in March.
As an analyst for UFC 282, Smith was midway through the show when Teixeira vs. Hill news emerged. The UFC allegedly did not inform Smith about the situation beforehand.
A video of his reaction went viral. It shows Smith’s immediate response to the news. Smith was obviously taken by surprise, and Jon Anik praised him for how he handled the issue.
When questioned about his response to the news, Smith said, “Uh, yeah that’s a problem for me. Yeah, that’s a big problem for me. Yeah, I don’t know.”
Anik responded, “I have so much respect for you, digesting this news right now, because as your friend and colleague, to have that Jamahal Hill fight go away, and now he’s going to be fighting Glover Teixeira for the title. I don’t even know what to say, man.”
Nothing compares to the feeling Anthony Smith had when he had to handle this news in front of the public in real-time. He handled it like a pro. Now all that’s left is the possibility that something similarly worthwhile may come along to take the place of his scheduled fight with Jamahal Hill.