There were those who believe that Smith was allowed to take too much damage in the fight, leading to many criticizing referee Jason Herzog and Smith’s corner for what went down.
Herzog has already issued an apology via Twitter, but Smith calls that apology a “coward move” during his own statements on Twitter:
Coward move on his part, in my opinion.
— Anthony Smith (@lionheartasmith) May 17, 2020
I make it a point before fights to know the commands, and what he expects out of each one before every fight. I did everything he asked and responded correctly per the pre fight meeting. Don’t wilt under a little heat afterwards cause Twitter is mean. The world is soft. Man up...
— Anthony Smith (@lionheartasmith) May 17, 2020
Smith has now won just one of his last three bouts, with that lone win coming over Alexander Gustafsson at UFC Fight Night Stockholm. Teixeira, on the other hand, has now won four straight fights and hasn’t suffered a defeat in almost two years.
