Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on
your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the
ESPN app. The path back to
Ultimate Fighting Championship title contention for Anthony
Smith will begin with an unranked opponent. The news first coming from
MMA Junkie on Thursday, Smith (33-16) will be competing again
at the light heavyweight division against Devin Clark
(12-4). The two will come to blows at the
Nov. 28 UFC Fight Night card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Clark was originally booked against Shamil
Gamzatov, but the Russian pulled out due to visa issues. In his
stead will be Smith, and the matchup has since been confirmed by
other outlets.
Although Smith discussed a potential return to the middleweight
division after a pair of one-sided losses to Glover
Teixeira and Aleksandar
Rakic, the former light heavyweight title challenger is staying
at 205 pounds for the foreseeable future. “Lionheart” moved to
light heavyweight after a loss to Thiago
Santos in 2018, where he rattled off a trio of stoppages
against Rashad
Evans, Mauricio Rua
and Volkan
Oezdemir to get a title shot. Jon Jones
staved him off, but Smith bounced back by tapping Alexander
Gustafsson in 2019 to precede the aforementioned defeats
against Teixeira and Rakic. The Nebraska natives sports a sky-high
finish rate of 91 percent throughout his over 12-year career.
Clark is on his first win streak since 2017, when he took a pair of
decisions against Josh
Stansbury and Jake
Collier. Alternating wins and losses for the next few years,
Clark has since won two unanimous verdicts over Dequan
Townsend and Alonzo
Menifield in 2020. Across his six wins inside the Octagon,
Clark has yet to finish an opponent. On the other hand, all four of
his defeats came within the first two rounds.
The UFC Fight Night event on Nov. 28 takes place in the UFC Apex in
Las Vegas, and headlining the card is a heavyweight rumble between
Curtis
Blaydes and Derrick
Lewis. No official co-main event bout has been announced,
although Renato
Carneiro squares off with Rafael
Fiziev in a thrilling lightweight scrap.
