[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED APRIL 26, 2020, 5:21 PM]
Anthony Smith believes MMA media members spun the narrative of his home invasion for clicks.
Earlier this month, Smith had a scary encounter with a home intruder. The UFC light heavyweight peppered the intruder with strikes before police arrived. Smith told ESPN’s Ariel Helwani that the man was unarmed but wouldn’t back down despite eating several strikes. It was later reported that the intruder was a standout Nebraska wrestler in high school.
Smith Says He’s ‘Disappointed’ With MMA Media
Smith has always been cordial with the MMA media but he is expressing his gripes over the coverage of his home invasion. “Lionheart” and UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones got into a spat on social media over how Smith protected his family. Jones claimed the intruder wouldn’t have made it out alive in his house and urged Smith to buy a gun. Smith took this as Jones flexing his muscle and stroking his ego.
In an interview with MMAJunkie.com, Smith expressed his belief that the MMA media fed into this and gave Jones exactly what he wanted.
“They took a story I didn’t want to tell anyway and took it from this disaster that happened in my house and turned it into Jon Jones vs. Anthony Smith, which is exactly what Jon Jones wanted. That’s why he said something. It’s an opportunity for Jon to get in the media, he does it all the time. Any time Izzy (Adesanya) fights, who do you hear from? Jon Jones. Whoever. Name your goddamn person. Anytime Jon can get some, he’s going to get some. I can’t believe the media was OK with Jon using this opportunity to get his in.”
Smith is scheduled to return to action on May 13, which falls on a Wednesday. He is set to take on Glover Teixeira. The two were supposed to meet on April 25 at UFC Lincoln but the event was postponed due to the COVID-19 crisis.
