Media Anthony Smith - not take on Alex Pereira - “some things have just fallen his way”

[MeatGrinder]

Talkin trash..... dude barely would belong in bellator.

 

[nostradumbass]

I mean it's true that he's really dangerous in 1 area and mediocre at everything else, but that does make gameplanning much easier as opposed to a lot of wrestlers who learn to throw a punch and suddenly think they're striking wizards who need to go headhunting against better strikers. Pereira obviously isn't a threat in wreslting or grappling, and has 1 TD his entire MMA career, and that was against the other kickboxer and he only had top position for like 20 seconds. He is competent enough to avoid too much damage in those areas though, and 1 dimensional enough to know that he should. Similar to Cro Cop.

The "falling his way" makes it sound salty that Pereira's gotten more success in the 5 minutes he's been in the UFC than Smith has in like 16 years and 60 fights, but there is some truth to that too. He's definitely benefited from a period at MW and LHW without any great grapplers near the top, the same way Gane was 1 bonehead leglock attempt from becoming HW champ with a straight up beginner ground game. Also, if Izzy had decided to just coast and avoid much action for the last few minutes, he would have won a pretty easy decision, so no rematch, and no former champion who jumps straight into contention in his LHW debut, and there was also a LHW title that was vacated 3x in a couple years, and a sketchy draw in one of the vacant title fights.

 

[Pancake Sprawl]

him not fighting a grappler isn't really "falling his way" there's not much grapplers in MW or LHW. the real part that fell his way is fighting for the LHW title and his 1st defense coming against guys who had bad injuries and coming off huge layoffs.

 

[filthybliss]

Coming from the guy that says Jon Jones isn't good at anything and other similarly retarded shit.

Jones isn't good at anything....he's great at fighting and awful at being a human being.

 

[jeff7b9]

Jones isn't good at anything....he's great at fighting and awful at being a human being.

He is good at getting away with shit.

 

[Pechan]

I mean he's phenomonal at striking but awful at grappling in general.

And yet no one has been able to sub him or wrestlefuck him.

 

[XThe GreatestX]

at least tito is funny

 

[Fact Checker]

Yeah I’m sure everything “fell his way” fighting monsters like Izzy, Strickland, Hill, Jan, and Jiri in his first 10 MMA fights…


He should’ve been fighting slow unathletic grapplers with terrible striking defense like Weidman, Smith, and DC to “prove” himself.

 

[xhaydenx]

I mean he's phenomonal at striking but awful at grappling in general.

If he was so awful at grappling he wouldn't have survived Jan and then won the fight.

 

[Milenkovic]

JFC, Anthony is salty about everyone but him.

Trying to get that title shot, but you couldn't even defend your home

 

[Pequeño Corey]

I mean he's phenomonal at striking but awful at grappling in general.

Better than Izzy. Good enough to defend subs against Jan and make him gas himself trying. His counter grappling has proven to be good enough to survive, which is all he really needs to do. He’s also a black belt under someone who has exceptionally good MMA grappling, so no, he’s better than awful.

 

[Pequeño Corey]

Stylistically, its been convenient for him to beat strikers but its not neccesarily his fault that the timing added up. Short answer: yes.

Who were the grapplers that could have caused him problems at MW? Go. I’ll wait.

 

[Pequeño Corey]

He's a BJJ BLACK BELT.

His lineage is solid. A black belt under Glover, who has legit MMA grappling. Jan never had him in any real trouble. Alex has solid submission defense, which is all he really needs. Just because he got taken down doesn’t mean he’s a bad grappler. Takedowns are just one aspect of the game.

 

[filthybliss]

Better than Izzy. Good enough to defend subs against Jan and make him gas himself trying. His counter grappling has proven to be good enough to survive, which is all he really needs to do. He’s also a black belt under someone who has exceptionally good MMA grappling, so no, he’s better than awful.

Being better than Izzy at grappling doesn't take much, man.....Jan is 41 for fucks sake....

 

[Pequeño Corey]

JFC, Anthony is salty about everyone but him.

Trying to get that title shot, but you couldn't even defend your home

Honestly, that’s kind of a crazy story and I have to feel for Anthony. I’d never want to be in that situation. No one would. But still, I can’t help but laugh any time someone brings up Luke “The Invader” Haberman.

 

[Poatan Power]

Meh. He beat a bunch of recent champions in the divisions. All of them actually. Funny how fortune favors Alex in having him fight nothing but the cream of the crop lol

 

[filthybliss]

Who were the grapplers that could have caused him problems at MW? Go. I’ll wait.

Problems at MW? He's too damn big for that division but I imagine Chael would give him some trouble...he has yet to fight a grappler beyond Geriatric Jan. I am not denying he's great, I am just saying I'd like to see him face against a grappler.

 

[filthybliss]

If he was so awful at grappling he wouldn't have survived Jan and then won the fight.

Geriatric Jan and he won that fight by a hair...Jan's legit the only grappler that he faced.

 

[Pequeño Corey]

Being better than Izzy at grappling doesn't take much, man.....Jan is 41 for fucks sake....

But yet I never hear anyone talking about how terrible of a grappler Izzy is. He actually ran the gauntlet at MW as a pro kickboxer crossover with no real grappling pedigree, which only proves that there’s not really any dominant grapplers in that division. Alex was fast tracked, but he wasn’t protected. There simply were no “unfavorable” matchups for him. If you disagree, then tell me who they were?

 

[Pequeño Corey]

Problems at MW? He's too damn big for that division but I imagine Chael would give him some trouble...he has yet to fight a grappler beyond Geriatric Jan. I am not denying he's great, I am just saying I'd like to see him face against a grappler.

This is what we call “moving the goal post”. You couldn’t produce a name, so you went with a retired guy from another era. The answer is, there were no unfavorable matchups that AP was shielded from. In hindsight, Sean was actually the toughest test they could have given him. Sean went on to actually win the strap, something that Marvin, Hermannsen, Costa, Cannonier, etc. could not, and will never do.