LAS VEGAS – Anthony Smith thinks Jamahal Hill gets unnecessary backlash.
Light heavyweight contenders Smith (38-20 MMA, 13-10 UFC) and Hill became training partners after a scheduled bout between them in March 2023 fell through. “Lionheart” returns in Saturday’s UFC 310 featured prelim (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN2, Hulu, ESPN+) when he takes on Dominick Reyes (13-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Hill (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC), who runs his own YouTube channel, has never backed down from responding to critique whether from fighters, fans, or analysts. Having formed a close bond with Hill, Smith says the former UFC champion is just often misunderstood.
“I see a lot of myself in him when I was younger,” Smith told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s UFC 310 media day. “I’d seen his talent, and he’s a good dude. The guys that are in my gym that are close to me that are like my brothers, of course, I’ll do anything I can for those guys. But I’m not out searching for guys to take under my wing to help. I’m going to help the people that are close to me that I have love for, but I’m not out trying to be a mentor.
“I just wish that people (had) seen the side of Jamahal that we see every day – the delusional Jamahal jokes. He’s passionate about his craft and he really cares. I’m media-trained, so I know how to get a point to land on the audience that I’m trying to reach, and he’s unconcerned with that. He just speaks from his heart. I think that he knows he could have performed better in his fight, so it comes off as excuse-making, but it’s just him speaking from his perspective. But that’s not the guy that we see every day. … He’s just a regular dude, and he’s a good dude.”
Hill will look to rebound from his knockout loss to light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira when he takes on Jiri Prochazka Jan. 18 at UFC 311. Having trained with Hill, Smith sees him taking out Prochazka.
“Jiri is such a pain in the ass. He’s just such a unique style and fights so free,” Smith said. “But anybody that’s as hittable as Jiri standing in front of Jamahal is going to have a bad night. That’s not jst because Jamahal’s my friend. The power that that guy carries is different. His ability to find shots is different, and you’re not going to have to work too hard to find Jiri’s head.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 310.
