Cameron Smotherman switched things up, trained with Diego Lopes for second UFC bout
Cameron Smotherman switched things up, trained with Diego Lopes for second UFC bout
Cameron Smotherman has traveled outside of his comfort zone – and outside of the country – ahead of his UFC on ESPN 67 bout Saturday in Des Moines, Iowa.
For the entirety of his career, Smotherman (12-4 MMA, 1-0 UFC) had trained in Texas. Initially training under the late Saul Soliz, Smotherman continued with his Metro Fight Club peers, including Adrian Yanez and others. However, ahead of his second UFC training camp, Smotherman switched things up and moved to Mexico to train with Diego Lopes.
"When Diego fought at UFC 300 against Sodiq, they had to fly over there," Smotherman recently told MMA Junkie. "I felt like it was really good fit. I thought it was a lot of positive energy I needed that time in my life. Me and Diego have stayed in touch ever since. We were talking almost every day, three or four times a week. Whenever I found out he got the title fight, I was like, 'I'm nothing like Volkanovski, but I at least want to be in the room and say I helped in some way. A few days after that, I ended up getting a fight, so it was perfect timing."
Smotherman helped Lopes with his preparation for his UFC 314 title challenge vs. Alexander Volkanovski and also got work with rising prospect Austin Bashi – all under the watchful eye of coach Francisco Grasso.
"I would definitely say it gives me some more confidence. Knowing the level and knowing what it takes and seeing it first hand. I can compare myself to it with first-hand experience. I would definitely say that really since I've gotten in my confidence has just been growing. I'm not questioning myself or my decisions like I used to. ... It's very different. It's a brand new system. I've been with the same team my entire career from amateur to pro. Sometimes, it's different and it makes me use my brain differently. But I feel like at this point in my life, that really helps and I appreciate it."
While some things change, other stay the same. His pal Yanez will still be in his corner Saturday at Wells Fargo Arena as he takes on Canada's Serhiy Sidey (11-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) in a bantamweight prelim. Smotherman will look to remain unbeaten in the UFC following a short-notice, betting upset victory over Jake Hadley.
Even with that big win, Smotherman enters the fight with a chip on his shoulder and something to prove.
"I don't think I have any respect from the public still," Smotherman said. "It seems to me that everyone is just attributing it to that he fought a bad fight and lost to a scrub. I still have a lot to prove. But as far as my life, this is actually the one good thing about losing and having a hard path to get here. I'm still touching grass. I know who's real and who's not. I know who believes in me and who doesn't. It's easy to fall into the 100 DMs or 1000 DMs that you get. Everyone wants to hang out with you when you're winning but I remember what it's like to lose and trying to sell tickets when nobody comes."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
UFC books Bellator notable Mandel Nallo vs. Cage Warriors champ Samuel Silva for DWCS
UFC books Bellator notable Mandel Nallo vs. Cage Warriors champ Samuel Silva for DWCS MMA worlds will collide as a former Bellator knockout artist and a current Cage Warriors champion will collide this summer with a UFC contract on the line. Tristar's Mandel Nallo and Cage Warriors lightweight champion Samuel Silva are set to square off Sept. 2 on Dana White's Contender Series at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Nallo (13-3) competed eight times for Bellator from 2017 to 2023. He compiled a 4-3 record with one no contest, as the promotion struggled to find him fights. That problem continued when Nallo hit free agency in early 2023. Since then, he's 4-0 in MMA with an additional win in bareknuckle MMA. All five of those fights he finished inside the distance. Silva (13-4-1) empathically turned heads in March when he upset Cage Warriors champion George Hardwick in an epic five-round battle. Silva won the bout via unanimous decision to extend his winning streak to five. The current DWCS lineup for Sept. 2 includes:
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Mailbag: What's next for Sean O'Malley after consecutive UFC title losses?
After another dominant performance at UFC 316, what are the most interesting potential fights for bantamweight champ Merab Dvalishvili? What's next for Sean O'Malley? Plus, does Julianna Peña really believe she ought to get the winner of the Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes fight? Really?? All that and more in this week's mailbag. To ask a question of your own, hit up @benfowlkesmma or @ @MMAJunkieGeorge: I hand you 100k as a gift. But you must bet a side between the following … Merab vs. Volk, who would you pick? Advertisement If they're fighting at 145 pounds, I have to pick Alexander Volkanovski. As good as Merab Dvalishvili is, and as dialed in as he's seemed these last few fights, I just don't think his style would be nearly as effective up a weight class. Volkanovski isn't even one of the bigger guys at featherweight, but I think the size and strength would make it harder for Merab to do Merab things. He's a dominant force in his weight class. That's where he should stay until the UFC makes it financially worthwhile to leave (which, let's be honest, probably isn't going to happen). @justlikelasagna: Isn't it time to start thinking about UFC after Dana White. They haven't pushed names they've always pushed him. Except everything but UFC seems to be grabbing Dana's attention recently. What's the next step post Dana? I've never seen anyone look so disinterested running a billion-dollar company. One of the UFC's great strengths is its organization. Most fight promotions are a damn mess, but the UFC is a well-oiled machine that can churn out weekly events on auto-pilot from now until the rapture. The flip side of this is that it seems to have gotten pretty boring for UFC CEO Dana White, who had to have the current state of his heavyweight division explained to him on Saturday by the media members who have actually been paying attention. Advertisement That said, I don't think anything short of death would get him out of that job. He's too synonymous with the brand, and clearly the day-to-day demands of the job are not exactly an inhuman labor. Eventually, yes, there will probably be a UFC without White. But this content machine could already plug along without him (and largely does, in purely practical terms) so I'm not sure how much it would really change anything. @wolfe_was_here: Tito Ortiz's ¿wizardry? of the English language was recently on display again. What are a couple of your favourite excerpts from The Tao of Tito? You know what amazes me about Tito Ortiz's magical way with words? It's the consistency. For decades this man has been showing up and talking about how he fights to put food on the roof and a table over his family's head — and he's never once showed the slightest bit of self-awareness about any of it. At a certain point we must abandon the notion that Ortiz is bad at talking and is instead a genius at some other form of communication that the rest of us can't even fully conceive of. It's like those aliens in Arrival who have not only a different language, but a completely different mode of expression and comprehension of both time and space. He's operating on a totally different mode and has been for decades. How else could he have managed this: @EyeofMihawk: Can we finally do away with unearned title rematches now? O'Malley got smashed. Juliana Peña still thinks she can call dibs. Yair Rodriguez turned down Diego Lopes. None of them deserve a title shot. This has to stop. Advertisement OK, I will admit that when I saw Julianna Peña trying to call 'dibs' on the winner of Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes, I had to check and make sure I wasn't being trolled by a fake account. I get it, fighters have to be at least a little bit delusional. And over the years Peña has given us reason to think she's well past a little bit. I think that's definitely helped her at times. She's won some fights she had no business winning simply because she was the last person to realize how overmatched she was. But this time? After that showing? I struggle to understand what's going on in her head. She was never really in that fight with Harrison, and the loss brought an end to one of the least distinguished title reigns in UFC history. A close second is her first title reign, which also ended as soon as she had to defend the belt. I don't really blame her for trying to put her name in the mix, just like I don't blame Sean O'Malley for accepting that rematch or Yair Rodriguez for aiming up at gold rather than a fellow contender. The title is where the money is, so why not ask for a shot? The worst they can say is no. Or, in Peña's case, maybe hell no. @JSanchezOnSI: Hey Ben! Just discovered you and loving your work my man. I'd like to know where you think O'Malley goes from here? Fight a few lower ranked guys? Move down a weight? He's stuck in no man's land a bit like Holloway after Volk. Advertisement I don't think he could make 125 pounds without a tapeworm, so if he's going to change weight classes, I think it makes a lot more sense to go up. With his frame, he could probably hold his own at featherweight. At the very least he'd have a bunch of new potential matchups and a fresh start in a new weight class. Staying at bantamweight seems like it offers limited possibilities as long as Dvalishvili is the champ. And it looks like he might stay that way for a long time. @sentientlife4o1: What's up with Patchy Mix? Was he fraud checked or was it first fight in the UFC jitters? Now that a number of Bellator champions have done relatively poorly in the UFC, is it fair to say the entire organization has been fraud checked? No, I don't think that's fair to say. Patchy Mix looked very bad, but he also looked bad in the way that suggested it could have been mostly nerves. Lots of fighters have struggled in their UFC debuts and then gone on to have great careers. The list of people who lost their first fight in the UFC includes Merab Dvalishvili, Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua, Fabricio Werdum, Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva, just to name a few. Mix fought a very tough opponent and took about two rounds to wake up, by which point it was too late to get back in the fight. That can happen. It doesn't mean he was never any good to begin with. As for other Bellator champs, they've mostly come over to the UFC only after having entire careers elsewhere. That comes at a cost. @SLefkaditis: If Merab beats Cory, is there any other fight than Pantoja? Advertisement Sure, there are other fights. I get the sense the UFC would like to get Umar Nurmagomedov back in there with him for another shot. I'm not saying I love the idea, but I don't think it would take much to talk the UFC into it. Honestly, I think Dvalishvili would be a very, very tough fight for Alexandre Pantoja. But if the flyweight champ wanted to take the risk and move up in weight, I'd sure watch it. He does seem like a man in need of a challenge. @forty7pitches: Do you think the UFC will ever get to Connor levels again? I'm not sure it really cares to. I think the UFC learned a few things from the Conor McGregor era, one of which is that there are easier ways to make consistent, predictable profits that don't rely on catching lightning in a bottle. Stars are tricky in this sport. They tend to be a lot less compliant than the rank-and-file fighters on meager 50/50 contracts that fill out the content calendar. Do I think we could see another star emerge who's as big or bigger than McGregor? Sure. This is an individual sport and there's always someone out there with the potential to capture the attention and imagination of the audience. I just don't think that's a priority for the UFC or its parent company right now.
USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
Joaquin Buckley doesn't expect to ever face Islam Makhachev despite looming UFC superfight
Joaquin Buckley doesn't expect to ever face Islam Makhachev despite looming UFC superfight Show Caption Hide Caption UFC Atlanta: Joaquin Buckley media day interview Joaquin Buckley speaks to reporters at the UFC Atlanta media day. ATLANTA – Eager as ever to prove he's the best in the world, Joaquin Buckley also respects the UFC's business ventures – even if it means he has to wait. Ahead of UFC on ESPN 69, which he headlines Saturday vs. Kamaru Usman, Buckley (21-6 MMA, 11-4 UFC) acknowledged that while his resume might be title shot-worthy, that he might need an additional win due to an impending superfight between champion Jack Della Maddalena and Islam Makhachev. "In my personal opinion, this win is going to catapult me to be in a position of that No. 1 contender spot," Buckley told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. "Obviously, this is a business. Islam has done a lot in the lightweight division. He has a massive name. It only makes sense for the UFC to give him that opportunity to fight for the belt. With all that being said, I'm going to let my performance speak for itself because a lot of things happen within this fight business that yet again we cannot predict. With that being said, if (an additional fight offer) does happen, Buck going to be ready for this opportunity when it comes calling." If it does align that Buckley is next for the winner of Della Maddalena (18-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) and Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC), he thinks only one of those options would actually come to fruition. "I truly believe if Islam was able to win that 170 title, he done everything he needed to do," Buckley said. "What? We going to stick around and potentially lose that winning streak? I don't think so. I think he's really trying to cement his name. It's really just kind of a legacy pass. Then once he wins that welterweight belt, my man is going to retire at the end of the day. That's my opinion." "I would love it, but I don't think Islam would. I truly believe if Islam was able to win that 170 title, he done everything he needed to do. What? We going to stick around and potentially lose that winning streak? I don't think so. I think he's really trying to cement his name. It's really just kind of a legacy pass. Then once he wins that welterweight belt, my man is going to retire at the end of the day. That's my opinion." Usman (20-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC) is Buckley's most high-profile test to date. It comes following a red-hot 2024 for Buckley, during which he defeated Vicente Luque, Nursulton Ruziboev, Stephen Thompson and Colby Covington. Following the Covington win, Buckley called for Usman – and he's pleased the UFC liked his idea. "Yessir. I'm talking about 2024 was a massive year for me, especially with getting all the fights I've been asking for, right?" Buckley said. "Getting opportunities, especially with Vicente Luque, with 'Wonderboy' (Stephen Thompson), even with Kamaru Usman – me, shouting his name out. Now they blessing us now with this fight. With this opportunity, man, that I'm getting. I just think this is a perfect moment for myself to show up and show out. Really, the reason why these callouts have been successful is the fans. Every time I call out these fighters, the fans want to see it. The UFC has actually been listening to the fans and making sure these fights happen." Usman, 38, has not competed in nearly two years. He's on a three-fight skid that began when he was knocked out by Leon Edwards. While it's uncertain where Usman is in his career, Buckley said he thinks the former champion hasn't regressed much. "To be honest with you, I don't think there's no difference from the Kamaru of old and the Kamaru of now," Buckley said. "I think it's the same fighter, which I believe is still dangerous and a person who can still give a lot of guys a lot of problems at the welterweight division. You realize losing to a person like Leon, who obviously took his belt and who obviously was a champion at the moment. Then also, Usman being able to go out on 10 days' notice and fight Khamzat, you've got to respect that. Even with him taking those Ls, I really feel like it wasn't much of a loss for him, as it was a setback. With that being said, he's been able to fine-tune his technique, as he says, and be able to work on whatever injuries he's got. So I'm just expecting the best version of himself when he steps out there."
