But in a single minute, Grigoriou stopped Smotherman and sent him back to the drawing board.You might assume that three wins on the regional circuit and one in the UFC would have erased the memory of that loss (and his other three defeats), but that’s not the case.
“No, I’m a very petty person,” Smotherman said. “So a part of me is still trying to plot and scheme away to get my rematches because it drives me nuts. I hate that moment. I feel like things happened how they needed to, and granted, I’m better now than I was then, but it’s not like I sucked then, though. But yeah, I wish I could get over any of my losses, but I’m just too petty. It’s just the fact that I can’t get it back and I can’t fight him again. It drives me nuts and I feel like I’ll never get over it.”
That’s a fighter’s competitive spirit, and what you want to see. Not the never getting over it part, but it shows that Smotherman isn’t settling. He wants to win every time, and if he doesn’t, he wants a shot at redemption. That attitude will serve him well in Des Moines, as he takes on a fighter in Sidey who may take him into deep waters. Smotherman welcomes such a fight if he has to.
UFC Des Moines Free Fights: Figueiredo vs Garbrandt | Sandhagen vs Moraes
“This guy is tough,” he said of Sidey. “He’s tough and he’s technical. Obviously, my goal is to knock him out, but considering he’s never been knocked out, I got to be prepared to fight him for 15 minutes hard. His cardio looks good, too. So yeah, if I can get him out of there, trust me, I will. But if not, then yeah, I’m ready for a tough 15 minutes.”
And just like the first time, he’s not about to let the moment overwhelm him.
“The stakes are higher, but, at the end of the day, it’s just a fight.”
