"I would grapple him in my front yard right now” - Anthony Smith responds to Alex Pereira daring him to a UFC Fight Pass Invitational bout

Anthony Smith is willing to engage in a rivalry if that's what Alex Pereira desires.

Smith faced criticism last month after Pereira strongly reacted to comments made by 'Lionheart' about the former UFC middleweight kingpin. During a media event at UFC Singapore, Smith commented on Pereira's move to the light heavyweight division, acknowledging his performance in his debut against Jan Blachowicz at UFC 291.

Smith also mentioned that 'Poatan' didn't seem as imposing in the 205-pound weight class, suggesting that his physique was more typical of an elite light heavyweight than an unusually large fighter for the 185-pound division.

However, Pereira responded strongly to those remarks, particularly after Anthony Smith narrowly won a split decision against Ryan Spann. He labeled Smith as a "washed up" fighter and asserted that he would not achieve significant success in his career.

The 36-year-old Brazilian made light of the situation on social media by sharing a playful image hinting at a fictional grappling match with Smith.

However, Anthony Smith is now convinced that Alex Pereira would decline the grappling match. During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Smith stated:

"I would, but do you think he would? Not a chance. I think it's just him taking jabs. You know how it is in this media world. It doesn't have to be true, you just have to convince people that it's true or that you want it to be true."

He added:

"Of course I would. I would grapple him in my front yard right now. It doesn't matter. I would smoke him in a grappling match."

Check out Smith's comments below:

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Anthony Smith hopes Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko end their spat with a trilogy bout

Alexa Grasso retained her UFC flyweight title in a rematch against Valentina Shevchenko during the main event of Noche UFC last Saturday. The bout concluded with a controversial split draw, sparking discussions about a potential third encounter between the two.

During a recent episode of the Believe You Me Podcast, featuring Michael Bisping and Anthony Smith, the two pundits discussed the Grasso vs. Shevchenko rematch. 'Lionheart' supported the notion of a trilogy fight between the competitors and claimed that Grasso fell short of expectations:

"I think it needs to be concluded. At least for me, there's more to be seen, I want to see more. I thought that Grasso didn't fight that great if I'm being honest. I left wanting to see more rounds with those two. It's very likely that Valentina made the adjustments and made her look like that. I thought her range was off, I think we could see a better fight out of them, which I'm really excited about."

Check out Smith's comments below (from 11:31):