Anthony Smith Roasts Jake Paul’s ‘Stupid And Careless’ CTE Comments
Anthony Smith isn’t buying Jake Paul’s recent claims that he’s already showing signs of CTE heading into his boxing fight with Ben Askren.
During his final press conference before the fight with Askren, Paul told members of the media that he’s already suffering brain damage after two matches as a professional boxer.
“I’m putting my mental health on the line, my brain is on the line,” Paul said on Thursday. “I’ve gone and gotten brain scans and have early signs of CTE.”
Smith, the UFC’s sixth-ranked light heavyweight, made his opinions about Paul’s comments known on Twitter, slamming the YouTuber turned Boxer for not being educated about the real circumstances regarding CTE.
“My take: 1. He’s exactly as stupid and careless as we all thought. 2. Lying about this to be cool or whatever shows his absolute disrespect for the real fighters and their families that have and will suffer from the very real, devastating effects of CTE. He’s disgusting.” Smith said in a now-trending Twitter post.
Paul is scheduled to take on Askren, a former MMA standout, in a boxing match hosted by Triller Fight Club on Saturday in Atlanta. In his two previous boxing matches, Paul has defeated retired NBA basketball player Nate Robinson and fellow YouTuber AnEsonGib by knockout.
This will be the first boxing match for Askren, who retired after falling to UFC welterweight Demian Maia at UFC Singapore in late 2019.
Smith will take on rising light heavyweight Jimmy Crute at UFC 261 next weekend in the UFC’s return to full-capacity events. ‘Lionheart’ is returning to the octagon after an impressive submission win over Devin Clark in November.
Paul’s comments over CTE have clearly not sat well with the combat sports community as a whole. Regardless, fans and critics of Paul alike will tune in to the highly-anticipated fight with Askren on Saturday.
What are your thoughts about Jake Paul’s recent claims that he’s already showing signs of CTE, and Anthony Smith’s heated response?
