At the beginning of the month, Anthony Smith got the biggest win of his career, submitting Alexander Gustafsson with a fourth-round rear-naked choke at UFC Stockholm. The win silenced the critics of Smith who were of the opinion that his successful run at light heavyweight was a result of favorable matchmaking and not of Smith’s ascent to the elite levels of the game. Among those critics was eighth-ranked light heavyweight contender, Corey Anderson.

When Smith received a title shot against Jon Jones, Anderson was quick to decry “Lionheart” as a fighter who hadn’t “earned his stripes” in the division. After submitting perennial contender Gustafsson, those arguments carry much less water and Smith responded to his critics as a result, saying that Anderson and Luke Rockhold (among the most vocal Smith-haters in MMA) would now have to earn a fight against him. Well it took a little while, but that comment did not sit well with Anderson.

Taking to Twitter yesterday, “Overtime” blasted Smith for his comments, comparing their resumes at 205 pounds, mocking Smith’s performance against Jon Jones, and saying that he has already more than “earned it”.

“I came back from vacay to this? Allow me to retort, Anthony Smith. Unlike your buddy Luke Rockhold, I’ve been doing stuff in THIS DIVISION since I signed in 2014. 14 fights, 12 of which were ranked, 9 of which I dominated. 1 notable win and you talkin? #b*tchheart #fightme. 3 of your 4 wins weren’t even relevant. You were just a “pretty face” (so to say) for them to put some hype behind so they could feed you to Jones and he could put you on his lap and spank you like a 3 year old child.

LIONHEART?! You literally sat on the canvas in fetal position and got punched on. The toughest thing you did was not take the DQ. Other than [that] get the F outta here calling my name unless you gonna knuckle up. You were a punching bag for Volkan Oezdemir, then he gassed in the 4th [round] and Alexander Gustafsson was saucing you up as well but he also lacked on the ground. But WE both know you aren’t taking me down, you can’t deal with my movement, and you KNOW 100% I’m not gonna gas. Soo? So all in all I DON’T TALK SH*T . . . I STATE FACTS. Don’t speak my name unless you signing on the dotted line. #earnedit #boutthatlife”

Anderson has a point. Overtime has been competing in the light heavyweight division since 2014, winning season 19 of The Ultimate Fighter and amassing a 9-4 record in the division, with wins over three current top-10 ranked fighters. He is also on a three-fight win streak in the division right now and appears to be entering the prime of his career. You could certainly argue that Anderson’s current run is better than Smith’s three-fight path to a title shot and at this point, a win over Smith would likely cement a title shot for Anderson.

A fight between the two will have to wait though. Smith is currently recovering from hand surgery and is not expected to return until December at the earliest. When he does come back though, a fight with Anderson is starting to make a lot of sense.

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MUST-READ STORIES

Forbes. Conor McGregor named to Forbes’ highest paid athletes list for fourth straight year.

Wild. Ex-KSW champion Mamed Khalidov detained for allegedly forging documents of stolen cars.

Rematch. Manager: Rose Namajunas ‘definitely’ interested in Jessica Andrade rematch but not ready to fight yet.

Wonderboy. Stephen Thompson ‘would love’ to fight ‘legend’ Nate Diaz.

Return. Nicco Montano happy to finally resume her career following USADA suspension.

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VIDEO STEW

The Thrill and the Agony.

The DC story.

Macy Chiasson had her home destroyed by a crane.

Fighters pick fights.

Should’ve bought a helmet instead.

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LISTEN UP

Eurobash. Interviews with Jack Shore and Adam Borics.

Mookie & Crookie. An interview with Bec Rawlings plus UFC 238 recap.

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SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

Already back on his feet.

Meanwhile, Lamas has some issues to deal with.

On standby.

Nice of her to not include the picture where it looks like she put Eye in a pine box.

Despite the rumors, it appears Cody and Urijah are still on great terms.

Adorable.

Respect Jon’s permanent troll game.

Forrest is an odd duck.

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FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

N/A.

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TODAY IN MMA HISTORY

2009: Lyman Good became Bellator’s first ever welterweight champion, knocking out Omar de la Cruz in the first round at Bellator 11.

2010: Chuck Liddell compete in MMA for the final time, getting knocked out by Rich Franklin at UFC 115. Nope. Golden Boy MMA? Never heard of it. That definitely did not happen.

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FINAL THOUGHTS

I’m down for Anderson vs. Smith. Good test for Anderson and if he wins, he deserves a shot. In the meantime, Johnny Walker and Dominick Reyes can fight for the next shot at Jones.

Thanks for reading and see y’all tomorrow.

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EXIT POLL

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