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Ben Rothwell responded with a fiery message to Anthony Smith, claiming MMA fans can be "stupid" for judging him based on headlines instead of context.
Although he's still an active fighter, 'Lionheart' Smith has begun preparing for retirement over the last few years by becoming an analyst and on-camera personality. During this time, the UFC light heavyweight has received backlash from fans several times for controversial opinions.
Most recently, Smith talked about potentially fighting 205-pound king Alex Pereira and fans interpreted his comments as criticism. During the UFC 301 media day, 'Lionheart' was asked about the somewhat consistent backlash and responded by saying:
"Fans are stupid, they are. You guys write an article and they don't read the article. They just read the headline and they just make up the rest in their head. If they actually read it, almost everything I say makes a lot of sense. Every once in a while maybe I have some crazy takes, but it's not that often."
Anthony Smith's comments were shared on Instagram by MMA Fighting. In the comment section, former UFC fighter Ben Rothwell went after 'Lionheart' by saying:
"Fans are why you get paid to fight @lionheartasmith Why you have a nice desk gig. Why anyone even knows who you are. So because some haters said things you didn't like , now "all fans are stupid?" Stop , please. This right here was one of those "crazy takes" as you said. We owe the fans everything. Don't you ever forget that."
Rothwell parted ways with the UFC following a first-round standing TKO loss against Marcos Rogerio de Lima in November 2021. Since then, the 42-year-old has become a legitimate title contender in the BKFC heavyweight division with three wins, including two in round one.
Watch Anthony Smith's quote at the UFC 301 media day below:
Anthony Smith looks to halt retirement calls with win against Vitor Petrino at UFC 301
On Saturday, May 4, Anthony Smith returns to action during the UFC 301 pay-per-view main card. Standing in his way of a much-needed win is undefeated Vitor Petrino, who will have added confidence fighting in front of Brazilian fans.
Heading into UFC 301, Smith has lost three of his last four fights, including a third-round knockout loss against Khalil Rountree Jr last time out. 'Lionheart' has an exit path from fighting with his analyst jobs, but he doesn't seem ready to retire.
Luckily for him, an impressive win against Petrino would also temporarily stop fans from calling for his retirement.
