Photo Credit: Laughing Place

Match Preview: UFC Fight Night – Smith vs. Clark 11/28/20

Another weekend is upon us, which means another night of fights are in order from the UFC Apex Center in Las Vegas in UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Clark.

UFC Vegas 15 will take place tonight on ESPN2 and ESPN+ from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, but its main event was changed last Friday. No. 2 contender Curtis Blaydes (14-2, one no-contest) was slated to fight No. 4 contender Derrick Lewis (23-7, one no-contest) in the five-round headliner at five minutes per round to close the show on Saturday night until Curtis Blaydes returned a positive coronavirus (COVID-19) test resulting in that fight’s postponement.

According to ESPN’s Marc Raimondi on Friday:

“The UFC is hoping to reschedule Blaydes vs. Lewis for UFC 256 on Dec. 12, sources told ESPN, but no deal is done yet.”

The new UFC Fight Night main event (after Blaydes vs. Lewis) features Anthony “Lionheart” Smith, who returns for the third time this year. He will take on Devin Clark, who also is entering the octagon for the third time this year, but will also look to make it three wins in a row to round out 2020.

Anthony Smith has posted a 2-3 record in his last five UFC appearances. He enters this main event on a two-fight losing streak, seeing that streak extended last time out by Aleksander Rakic (unanimous decision) in UFC Vegas 8 on Aug. 29 in the UFC Apex. In the other corner, Devin Clark has gone 3-2 in his last five UFC bouts, including a unanimous decision win vs. Alonzo Menifield in UFC 250 on June 6 in the UFC Apex.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight title contender, Smith, hasn’t stepped foot inside the Octagon since losing to Rakic. The loss marked his second in a row, losing to Glover Teixeira via technical knockout (TKO) this past summer. It’s been a rough stretch for “Lionheart,” losing three of four overall since 2019.

On the other hand, Clark has won two in a row after defeating Dequan Townsend and Menifield this year. Clark hasn’t been the most consistent fighter on the UFC roster, going just 6-4 during his stint. A win over Smith will be the biggest of his career and help him inch closer to a Top 10 ranking.

If Smith still has something left in his tank, and it would be a precipitous drop if he doesn’t, he should still be one of the most consistently fun action fighters at 205. In fact, Smith typically is losing his fights until he isn’t, generally capitalizing on some mistake until he can get the fight to the mat where his underrated grappling can shine. It isn’t so much that he’s a technical savant on the level of Demian Maia, though there isn’t anything wrong with Smith’s technique. It’s that he has a sixth sense of finding the available submission and using it to end the fight.

Of course, everyone knows Clark is a wrestler first and foremost, meaning there’s a strong belief that he could be walking right into the hands of Smith. However, a quick look at Clark’s record reveals something very telling: every UFC fight of his career that went to a decision he won; every fight that ended before the final bell, he lost. When Clark focuses on using his physical tools to control instead of looking for a finish, he’s proven to be more than a handful. When he starts looking for a bonus, he tends to get sloppy and exhausts himself in the process, leading to his demise.

Other fights on the restructured UFC Vegas 15 main card include:

Co-Main Event: Josh Parisian (13-3, UFC debut) vs. Parker Porter (10-6) – Heavyweight

Miguel Baeza (9-0) vs. Takashi Soto (16-3) – Welterweight

Spike Carlyle (9-2) vs. Bill Algeo (13-5) – Featherweight

UFC Fight Night will surely be a fun event to watch as modern day gladiators step in the octagon to do battle.

Be sure to check out franchisesportsmedia.com for all your latest in MMA, Las Vegas sports news, events, previews, and recaps.

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-Joe Arrigo – Franchise Sports Media

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Joe Arrigo

Joe Arrigo is the co-founder and VP of Franchise Sports Media. Joe has been in media since 2004 when he became the morning host on KKUU and mid-days co-host on KXPS in Pam Springs. After his time in Palm Springs, Joe became the operations manager when he built, programmed, and was on-air for KQCM. He has also had stints on-air in various markets, including Fresno. Joe became the producer and co-host for The Beast 980 (KFWB), a sports talk station in Los Angeles, before moving to Vegas in 2015. In 2019 he founded Franchise Sports Media with TQ.

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