"He's an absolute threat to anybody" - Dana White reacts to "fascinating" odds for Anthony Smith vs. Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 277

Dana White has shared his thoughts on the betting odds for the upcoming fight between Anthony Smith and Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 277.

White recently did an interview with Kevin Iole for Yahoo! Sports. At one point in the interaction, Iole mentioned the odds for the Smith-Ankalaev light heavyweight fight. At BetMGM, 'Lionheart' is currently a +375 underdog, whereas Anakalaev is a -500 favorite.

Commenting on the questionable odds, the UFC president praised Smith, saying that 'Lionheart' poses a serious threat to anybody in a fight.

"That's fascinating. Because if there's anything that Anthony Smith is, it's durable man. That guy is durable, hangs in there and is an absolute threat to anybody."

Catch the full interview below:

Both Smith and Ankalaev have good momentum coming into the fight at UFC 277.

'Lionheart' is on a three-fight win streak. Ankalaev, on the other hand, has won his last eight, which includes victories over former title challengers Volkan Oezdemir and Thiago Santos.

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Anthony Smith will look for a finish at UFC 277

Anthony Smith wants to make a strong statement in his upcoming encounter against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 277. That's why 'Lionheart' will be looking for a finish on July 30, as he told ESPN MMA's Brett Okamoto.

"I think people, they look at the 50 fights, they look at the losses and maybe overlook me a bit. I'm 20-5 in my last 25 fights, three of those losses are to champions or title contenders. The strength of schedule is three times harder than Ankalaev has ever fought. I've got a lot of respect for that guy, but I'm not coming in to squeak out a win. I'm coming in to take his head. I need a finish and that's what I'm looking for."

Watch Smith's interaction with Brett Okamoto below:

There is no clear front-runner for a title fight in the light heavyweight division. If Smith manages to knock out or submit Ankalaev, there is a very good chance that he might be next in line for a title shot against Jiri Prochazka.