Anthony Smith has formed a close relationship with Jamahal Hill and he’s going to bat for his fellow UFC light heavyweight.
Both are set to compete in the near future, with Smith fighting Dominick Reyes at UFC 310 this Saturday and Hill scheduled to take on Jiri Prochazka at UFC 311 on Jan. 18. The veteran fighters are also well known for their comments outside the cage, with Smith also serving as a contributing analyst for UFC broadcasts and Hill active on social media and YouTube.
Hill isn’t one to stay silent when confronted on a topic and that has occasionally rubbed fans and fighters the wrong way, but Smith doesn’t think Hill’s abrasiveness defines him.
“Jamahal and I made an organic relationship that turned into a friendship,” Smith said at UFC 310 media day when asked if he plans to focus on coaching more fighters in the future. “That was just an organic meeting. I see a lot of myself in him when I was younger. I’d seen his talent and he’s a good dude. The guys that are in my gym that are close to me that are like my brothers, of course, I’ll do anything I can for those guys, but I’m not out searching for guys to take under my wing to help. I’m going to help the people that are close to me that I have love for, but I’m not trying to be a mentor.
“I just wish that people had seen the side of Jamahal that we see every day. The delusional Jamahal jokes, he’s passionate about his craft and he really cares. I’m media-trained, so I know how to get a point to land on the audience that I’m trying to reach and he’s unconcerned with that. He just speaks from his heart. I think that he knows he could have performed better in his fight and it still comes off as excuse-making, but it’s just him speaking from his perspective. That’s not the guy that we see every day. ... He’s just a regular dude and he’s a good dude.”
Recently, Hill found himself responding to Prochazka after his upcoming opponent criticized his performances. Hill compared their title fight defeats to Alex Pereira and boasted that he showed more in his loss than Prochazka did.
It’s not just fighter beefs that have painted a negative picture of Hill, as he also embarrassed himself sparring with fans online as he defended Dana White slapping his wife at a New Year’s Eve party in 2022.
Asked how Hill plans to deal with Prochazka in their battle of former UFC light heavyweight champions, Smith acknowledged the difficulties of Prochazka’s style while leaning towards a knockout win for Hill.
“Jiri is such a pain in the ass, he’s just such a unique style and fights so free,” Smith said. “But anybody that’s as hittable as Jiri standing in front of Jamahal is going to have a bad night. That’s just not because Jamahal’s my friend, the power that that guy carries is different. His ability to find shots is different and you’re not going to have to work too hard to find Jiri’s head.”
TOP STORIES
Free Pitbull. Longtime face of Bellator Patricio Pitbull wants out of the promotion.
New Bood. Movsar Evloev wants Alexander Volkanovski to step aside in the featherweight title race.
Allegedly. Brazilian jiu-jitsu star Mikey Musumeci claims “99 percent of jiu-jitsu is on steroids.”
Feuds. Ian Machado Garry fires back at Shavkat Rakhmonov and takes aim at Colby Covington.
VIDEO STEW
UFC 310 Timeline.
UFC 310 media day.
UFC 310 Embedded.
Alexander Volkanovski and Dan Hooker make their pick.
Laura Sanko and Din Thomas break down the UFC 310 co-main event.
FLAVOR IN YOUR EAR
No Bets Barred. Jed Meshew brings you the most intriguing wagers for UFC 310.
SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE
Free Patchy.
My manager told me to hold off but haven’t heard anything from @PFLMMA @DonnDavisPFL If you are not gonna have me fight then just please release me from contract.This is not what I want but if I’m not important to the company being a multi time champ. Then let me go respectfully
— Patchy Mix (@TeamMixMMA) December 5, 2024
Forbidden technique.
@gloverteixeira pic.twitter.com/Rrbfxh84Jg
— Alex "Poatan" Pereira (@AlexPereiraUFC) December 4, 2024
Salud, mi familia.
Aquele momento incrível que é marcar na pele aqueles que são meus ♥️ pic.twitter.com/40o6ccdCWs
— Jose Aldo Junior (@josealdojunior) December 4, 2024
Congrats!
Fear Shamil.
Find your bliss.
Touché.
How about eyeglasses? You believe in that technology? https://t.co/Oa7zkAa22B
— Dann Stupp (@DannStupp) December 4, 2024
Please read and donate.
It has now been over a year.
— Erik Magraken (@erikmagraken) December 4, 2024
Below is an update to this fundraiser with a thank you from Lei's mom to everyone who has helped donate to this worthwhile cause.
And an update on Lei's condition.
Please spare 2 minutes to read. https://t.co/5dMUaNtZHp
FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Amanda Ribas (13-5) vs. Mackenzie Dern (14-5); UFC Vegas 101, Jan. 11
Islam Makhachev (26-1) vs. Arman Tsarukyan (22-3); UFC 311, Jan. 18
Merab Dvalishvili (18-4) vs. Umar Nurmagomedov (18-0); UFC 311, Jan. 18
FINAL THOUGHTS
First there was Hill vs. Prochazka, now look at that updated UFC 311 card. Stacked!!!
EXIT POLL
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