Anthony Smith

Credit: MMANytt

Anthony Smith explains what Corey Anderson must do to earn title shot

Corey Anderson has called for a title shot against Jon Jones, yet fellow light heavyweight, Anthony Smith, believes he must do something different instead of just asking for it.

According to Smith, he believes Anderson just needs to beat the next guy, not just begging for the shot.

“I just beat the next guy,” Smith said on Sirius XM (via MMA News). “When the UFC said, ‘Oh, what do you think’s next?’ ‘Whoever you think is next. Who do I gotta beat to get to a title shot?’ ‘Well, Volkan Oezdemir’s number 2.’ ‘Give me that f***ing guy then.’ And that’s what I did. Sometimes you gotta put your head down, and you gotta work, and stop complaining all the time.

“Just put your head down, and beat the next guy, and don’t complain about it,” Smith continued. “And then, every once in a while, try to be a little bit exciting and stop talking shit about the guys that are doing it right. You want to talk shit about Thiago Santos? Thiago Santos got a title shot. You want to talk shit about me? I got a title shot. So instead of talking shit, maybe emulate what we do a little bit, try to get a goddamn finish, stop talking shit about the UFC, and just beat the next guy. It’s that simple.

“I don’t understand this formula in his head, it’s like he’s doing brain surgery. It’s not that hard. I’m the next guy that you have to beat. It’s that simple.”

Anderson could very well fight someone like Smith to see who is next for Jon Jones assuming Dominick Reyes is next for the light heavyweight champion. Regardless, Anderson just needs to keep on fighting and winning and eventually, a title shot against Jon Jones he has been asking for will come.

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Cole Shelton
Cole Shelton covers MMA for BJPenn.com, MMANews, and MyMMANews.com while also being the lead MMA odds writer for Sports Betting Dime