Soon after joining the light-heavyweight division, Luke Rockhold called out Anthony Smith. Luke pointed at Smith’s track record in the division and stated how easy it was to get a title shot in that division. That didn’t sit too well with Anthony Smith.
Both have went back and forth in recent interviews, and in the latest interview with The MMA Hour, here’s what Luke Rockhold had to say:
“It’s just me coming into this division, I wanted a fight, he seemed like a logical opponent. And then they trot him up and Jon picked him off as an easy fight. So [Jones] basically made the UFC take it, and I just didn’t think much of the matchup, and obviously, I don’t think the rest of the world thought much of the matchup once it happened.”
“I got a problem telling the truth, so I don’t think much of him. I don’t think he’s a credible character in the division, really. He is about to get shut down. He’s about to get it [from Gustafsson at UFC Stockholm]. He’s going to get beat up bad, back-and-back, and be put in his place, just like I said.”
When asked if he would be interested in fighting Smith if he loses to Gustafsson, Luke said:
“It doesn’t make a lot of sense after he gets his ass beat by Gustafsson, so I’m going to focus on what’s ahead and what’s in the moment. I’m going to go handle business and I’m going to look ahead. I never really look behind. … If he gets past Gustafsson, if he defies expectations, then that’s a fight I will definitely entertain.”
Luke Rockhold speaking on The MMA Hour