Anthony Smith and Dominick Reyes clash on Twitter over potential fight
The UFC light heavyweight division has gotten some new blood in 2018 and two of those fresh faces have now gone after each other over a potential fight. Seventh-ranked light heavyweight contender Dominick Reyes took to Twitter to call out second-ranked Anthony “Lionheart” Smith, saying Smith is ducking a fight with him.
According to Reyes, he reached out to the UFC in regards to a No. 1 contender fight to take place at UFC 233 in January but was told that Smith has a sore hand that will not let him fight at that time. Reyes went on to tell Smith that he’d be willing to fight him in February or March when his injury was healed up.
Hey @lionheartsmith, I was told u turned me down for a #1 contender fight in Jan/233 bc ur hand’s sore, so I guess you HAVE excuses. Heal up, let's do it in Feb or March, you pick! I'm gonna test that "lionheart"! 😈 #devastated #earnit #notthatman pic.twitter.com/YgLYkh3gb8
— Dominick Reyes (@DomReyes) December 3, 2018
Smith would respond to Reyes by once again making it known that if his next opponent isn’t Jon Jones or Alexander Gustafsson, he has no interest in fighting anyone else. Smith also called out Reyes for reportedly turning down fights against ranked contenders Jimi Manuwa and Jan Blachowicz.
https://twitter.com/lionheartsmith/status/1069767092432441344
https://twitter.com/lionheartsmith/status/1069768107923791872
In his final response to Reyes, Smith would call him a troll and tell him to slow down his pursuit of a fight with him.
https://twitter.com/lionheartsmith/status/1069769110224031745
Anthony “Lionheart” Smith has gone undefeated since entering the light heavyweight division and is currently riding a three-fight winning streak with wins over Rashad Evans, Shogun Rua, and most recently Volkan Oezdemir. Smith defeated Oezdemir by submission in the third round of their main event fight back in October and that victory has propelled him to the top of the contender rankings.
Dominick Reyes is also undefeated, holding a perfect 4-0 record since entering the UFC. His most recent win came as an unanimous decision victory over Ovince Saint Preux at UFC 229 in October. Reyes is 10-0 in his professional MMA career and six knockout/TKO victories to his name so far.
The matchup isn’t a bad one as both are undefeated in the division but with Smith finding himself atop the contender rankings, he seems set on waiting out the winner of Alexander Gustafsson vs Jon Jones who will fight for the vacant light heavyweight title at UFC 232 later this month.
