Anthony Smith opens up about understanding UFC's "business decision" about Zhang Mingyang fight: "They want the older, aging veterans"

Anthony Smith recently discussed his upcoming retirement fight against Zhang Mingyang and spoke on why he believes they were matched up. He noted that the bout was made purely from a business standpoint.

Smith has already confirmed that he will be retiring from the sport after his next bout, so it appears as though the UFC are looking to possibly create a new star at 205 pounds. Mingyang is a highly touted light heavyweight prospect from China who has an 18-6 professional record, with three consecutive first-round finishes inside the octagon.

On his latest appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Smith admitted that he understood why the UFC booked him against Mingyang for his final bout. 'Lionheart' mentioned that it is logical for the promotion's business as the 26-year-old could propel himself into the light heavyweight rankings and make a name for himself at his expense:

"It's a business decision, which I understand... [Mingyang is] a really tough up-and-comer, but I think that they're unsure of where he really is in terms of his skill set and how good he actually is. He's hard to match up because guys that are in his similar position... they want the older aging veterans. They want to catch us on our way out. They don't want to fight each other that bad because they're unsure of the same thing, they don't know how good they actually are."

Check out the full interview featuring Anthony Smith's comments [25:15] below:

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Anthony Smith says he is eager to test how good Zhang Mingyang is

Anthony Smith also said that he is eager to test how good Zhang Mingyang is and plans to test his endurance and resilience when they compete inside the octagon.

During the aforementioned appearance, Smith mentioned that Mingyang has been a fighter that excels in the first round, but hasn't been put in a position where he is forced to adjust in later rounds:

"You have to put someone pretty tough in front of [Mingyang] because you won't really find out where his level is and what kind of fighter he is and who he is as a person until you can get someone to push him past where he's comfortable."

Check out the UFC's post featuring Anthony Smith's finishes below: