Daniel Cormier believes Anthony Smith “let pride get in the way” by not allowing DQ in 2019 title fight with Jon Jones

UFC commentator Daniel Cormier believes Anthony Smith allowed his pride to get in the way during his fight against Jon Jones in 2019.

In the eyes of many, Jon Jones is the greatest of all time. He built that reputation by running through numerous light heavyweight stars, which included a run between 2018 and 2020 after making his long-awaited return. One of his opponents was Anthony Smith, who he battled at UFC 235.

While Smith was certainly a live underdog, he couldn’t really do much to hurt Jones during their bout. What he did do, however, was nearly win the bout via disqualification.

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After Jones landed what was clearly an illegal knee to ‘Lionheart’, Smith had the opportunity to claim he was unable to continue. Instead, he soldiered on, eventually losing the contest.

In the eyes of Daniel Cormier, that was a mistake, as he spoke about during an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience.

Cormier questions Smith

“That’s when Anthony was like, ‘You know what, man, if I just sit here, and I don’t do this no more, there’s a possibility for me to get all this money and come back as the champ,'” Cormier said. “And then his pride got in the way, and he got up there and he finished the fight. He was down three rounds to one at that time, and he fought, and I thought it was a mistake.”

“It is what it is,” Cormier said. “Jones got deducted a point, and still won the fight comfortably, that’s how much he was ahead. He got a two-point deduction, and still won.”

Quotes via MMA News

The 35-year-old Smith is 4-2 in his last four bouts following a win over Ryan Spann in the summer. This weekend, he returns to action to battle Khalil Rountree Jr.

Do you agree with Daniel Cormier? Will Anthony Smith fight for a title again before retiring? Let us know, BJPENN Nation!