Stephen A. Smith Hits Cerrone Again and Calls Conor's Shoulder "Strikes" Shrugs

[ReadWrite]

“Fellas, I’m learning the sport. Muay Thai, being in a rear-naked choke — I don’t know. I never said I knew. What I said was, I was at that fight. I know what the hell I saw for those 40 seconds. I’m not debating the sport. Like for example, there’s a whole bunch of cats that talk basketball, you think they know basketball like I know basketball? I’ve been covering the sport for 25 years. I got inside information all over the place. No, I’m an aficionado on basketball. I’m a reporter and spectator everywhere else.

“For example you might have somebody like my man Max Kellerman, you cover boxing. Max could tell you who the 30th-ranked fighter in the world is. I don’t give a damn about him. I’ll see him when gets up to the top 10. I’m focusing on here cause I ain’t got time, I got to do all of this. I ain’t got time to watch the 30th-ranked fighter. You see what I’m saying? But if I did watch him fight, I know boxing enough to know what I saw.

“So when you had cats coming at me, I’m sitting here ‘Whoa, Whoa, Whoa. Wait a minute.’ I didn’t sit up there and say, I’m Joe Rogan and I’m breaking down the nuances of the sport. I’m saying I saw Conor McGregor fight this dude for 40 seconds. I saw this dude get hit with three shoulder shrugs right to his nose. He backed up, had a chance to run away for a few seconds to gather himself, didn’t do it. Only did one side kick, which didn’t connect. Then got kicked in the side of his head by Conor McGregor, he goes down and out.

“This is your 50th fight, dog. You didn’t know how to back up and catch your breath? Then, oh — by the way — you went out in 40 seconds. Then we find out it’s your first pay-per-view fight. Oh, how many times we’ve seen brothers step in the ring and we go like this, ‘Bright lights might have been too much for them.’ But because it’s Cowboy Cerrone and it’s the MMA, suddenly I’m not allowed to say that? It’s ridiculous!”

--MMAonSiriusXM

 

[Max Power]

I have no idea who this Smith fella is. Probably some irrelevant hanger on. Who cares what he thinks?!?

 

[Fishmonger]

joe rogan is going to shit his brains out, then explode after reading that.

 

[TheSpider]

joe rogan is going to shit his brains out, then explode after reading that.

SAS stiffens Rogan

 

[Fishmonger]

SAS stiffens Rogan

 

[drbolony]

What's he like quadrupling down on his bullshit at this point? No one was mad at him for his analysis of the fight (however misinformed he may have been), it had everything to do with him calling Cowboy a quitter, simple as that. The man has an enormous ego for someone who's a nobody. He literally built his career around talking about other peoples feats and somehow he feels he's equal to these people? SAS could use a couple doses of reality and a kick in the ass from time to time. As the legend Patrice O'Neal used to say, SAS needs his "medicine".

 

[Bowel-forged Stool]

SAS is only covering any sport for drama honestly. We need a big large black fella to tell em like it is!

 

[TooTricky]

In b4 the butthurt

Based reply, everything he said is right on the money.

MMA fans will cry about disrespect, then go shit all over Jones and/or other fighters in another thread.

 

[Timurd123]

I have no idea who this Smith fella is. Probably some irrelevant hanger on. Who cares what he thinks?!?

All of MMA apparently

They have been dissecting and responding to every word he says since the Cerrone-Connor fight
It’s absolutely mind boggling how insecure the fan base is

 

[Prince Nephilim]

Stephen is right and he should hold his ground.

Cerrone did blow it under the big lights like he always does. Those strikes were hella situational and props to Conor for being a total animal in there and being dangerous from any spot, but Cerrone folded more than Conor obliterated an actual contender.

And to say what Stephen won't say....Cerrone is and was a gatekeeper going into this fight and he's prone to be KO'd. This fight was set up to be a smash match up

 

[khabib time]

SAS stiffens Rogan

Rogan is already training for SAS.

 

[arcadeperfect]

Just leave it alone, who cares what he thinks. If you want the UFC or MMA to be on a mainstream network like ESPN then this the stuff you have to deal with. Other sports do. SAS is just being blunt with his opinion which is just the reality of sports commentary.

 

[DeathStroke]

In b4 the butthurt

Based reply, everything he said is right on the money.

MMA fans will cry about disrespect, then go shit all over Jones and/or other fighters in another thread.

I think peoples knee jerk reaction is to shit on him because his tone implies that he knows more than he really does. The way he says things like "it's your 50th fight dog, and you dont know how to back up and catch your breath?" seem arrogant.

At the end of the day, he's right about pretty much everything here. He just says it in a way that pisses people off.

 

[Lukn4trbl]

Here's me giving my last fuck...

No wait, I already gave away my last fuck.

 

[Deleted member 510653]

I never thought this would be such a big issue.. Just cause a major sports personality says something about mma it's hell on earth.. Can we talk about something else now please?

 

[TooTricky]

I think peoples knee jerk reaction is to shit on him because his tone implies that he knows more than he really does. The way he says things like "it's your 50th fight dog, and you dont know how to back up and catch your breath?" seem arrogant.

At the end of the day, he's right about pretty much everything here. He just says it in a way that pisses people off.

Well, the fans opened the floodgates for unapologetic, brash honesty, even if it flew in the face of the traditional 'respect' that came with MMA... by building guys up Like Conor and Colby.

Can't cry when sports announcers call it the way it is either.

 

[HI SCOTT NEWMAN]

Why does he keep mentioning Cats in his article.. cats ain't watching basketball and MMA and the other garbage nonsense things bro.

They only watch Hello Kitty

 

[SamboPunch]

talking about him only gives him more press... which is what he wants

 

[countswagula]

I legitimately like Stephen A Smith and the coverage he brings to MMA, I thinks he's fun to listen to even if he's way off base.
I don't feel he said anything particularly egregious on the McGregor vs Cerrone coverage though, people are just turned off hearing someone who's not knowledgeable of the sport being harsh on fighters.

 

[TCanaveira]

Can we have a make a petition to have Stephen A Smith step inside the octogon against Cerrone for 40 seconds?