Opening the UFC 261 main card, inside the Vystar Veterans Memorial Center, was a classic booking of youth versus experience. As 50-fight veteran and former light heavyweight title contender, Anthony Smith took on the challenge of 25-year-old Australian prospect Jimmy Crute. It was a matchup of two 205-pound fighters with a combined finishing percentage of 83%, over 46 shared victories. Something had to give.
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After about a minute to range find, the action started to heat up as both men started to land strikes. A first-half highlight was the stiff jab of Smith that ended up becoming a constant throughout the round. However, Crute tried to balance the cards with some good low kicks, but the 25-year-olds face started to show the clear effects of the outstanding jab “Lionheart” was landing at will. With less than a minute left, a low kick my Smith lead to what seemed to be an instance of drop-foot for “The Brute,” which made his left ankle completely unstable. Despite having problems standing, he fought on valiantly and actually landed two takedowns on his opponent.
As the Aussie went to the corner after the round he seemed to have little stability on his left foot. The ringside doctors gave him a chance to prove he could stand and walk on the limb, but he was unable to do so. The fight was stopped and the technical knockout awarded to the Smith.
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The sixth-ranked Smith wins a second straight fight and takes another step forward in trying to work his way back into contention. It is the nineteenth knockout win of his career. For Crute, it’s a difficult loss that moves him to 4-2 in the UFC, but the Dana White Contenders Series alum will remain a top-rising talent in the light heavyweight division nonetheless.
