Bangkok Ready

"When my back's against the wall is when I'm most dangerous. When I fail, I always bounce back stronger. Every time."

UFC veteran Anthony Smith returns to the cage this Saturday on just 16 days notice, showcasing his fearless attitude once again. Unfortunately for him, he will be entering that very cage with merciless Muay Thai striker, Khalil Rountree Jr.

To peruse the highlight reel of Khalil Rountree Jr. is to witness a series of sanctioned beatings. From his knee-shattering oblique kick over Modestas Bukauskas to his cruel body kicks on a curled up Karl Roberson, Rountree is a man to be feared inside the cage.

Smith, on the other hand, has earned the “Lionheart” nickname.

After going on a 3 fight finish streak in 2018, Smith rightfully earned his title shot against light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones.

The fight itself was not close. Round after round, Jones outstruck and outgrappled Smith in a demoralizing performance. It was the end of the fourth round that makes this fight worthy of discussing.

With just about 40 seconds left on the clock, Smith was crouched against the fence with one hand touching canvas, qualifying him as a grounded opponent. Despite the position, Jones threw an illegal knee that collided with Anthony Smith’s temple.

The punishing blow forced Referee Herb Dean to temporarily stop the fight; Smith would have 5 minutes to either recover, or be deemed unable to continue. Considering that the illegal strike was intentionally thrown, Smith being unable to continue would assuredly be ruled a disqualification win for him.

Had he chosen to bow out of the fight in that moment, he would have been crowned a world champion. He would have a second chance at defeating Jon Jones, in a rematch where he would have been contractually obligated to receive pay-per-view points. Choosing to quit in that moment would have likely yielded him the biggest paycheck of his career.

But the name “Lionheart” does not come without a shatterproof spirit. Smith not only choose to continue fighting, but survived to see the final bell. The mixed martial arts community would always respect and commemorate Smith for that decision, giving him the flowers that he undoubtedly deserved.

He saw mixed results in the cage after that, as his UFC analyst career began to distract from his training. His sequential losses to Magomed Ankalaev and Johnny Walker were warning signs that the aging veteran, with over 50 fights under his belt, may be reaching his final days.

In August of 2023, he entered a bout against Ryan Spann, a man who he had already beaten via first round rear naked choke just 2 years prior, as the betting underdog. People were evidently losing faith in the veteran.

In the opening minutes of their rematch, it seemed as if the first fight was repeating itself; the experience of Smith was on display as he landed beautifully-timed strikes to the head and legs of Spann.

In the second round, a counter left hook from Spann clipped the eye of Smith, forcing the veteran to retreat. “Superman” Spann charged at Smith with a flying knee that sent him to the canvas. Smith squinted in pain as Spann tried to finish the fight with ground and pound.

But Smith could never let himself wilt under pressure; he continued to use his grappling to protect himself from excessive damage, eventually making his way back to the feet.

Just before the final round, the ringside physician was called in to check Smith’s eye, which was slowly shutting due to a colossal purple welt growing under it, but he proved that he was fit to continue.

The toughness of Smith allowed him to persevere, just barely edging the final round in his favor. With a win over Spann, the durable veteran’s career was not over just yet.

However, Smith has openly admitted that his longtime weakness, one that many opponents have been able to exploit, is the inability to check or defend leg kicks, a strike that Khalil Rountree is particularly well-versed in.

Smith may have the heart of a lion, but a well-prepared Rountree, who stays true to his gameplan, can chop Smith’s legs until the veteran can no longer stand the suffering.

Then again, Rountree has also shown glaring flaws throughout his own career. His inconsistency came to be expected at a certain point, looking phenomenal in some fights and disheartened in others. The four fight win streak that he is currently riding is the longest of his career, being incapable of stringing more than 2 wins together previously.

If Rountree’s recent performances are indicative of anything, it is proof that he has entered a new stage of his career, where he will no longer allow himself to fall victim to inadequacy. Against a tough, but aging opponent like Anthony Smith, on short notice no less, Rountree could look better than ever as he makes a statement against a marquee name. But as Smith has done plenty of times before, he may enter the cage with a sharp killer in Rountree, and make the man look duller than ever.