Anthony Smith’s loss was just as brutal as its aftermath. The former UFC light heavyweight title challenger suffered a second-round ankle injury against Magomed Ankalaev, and upon arriving at the hospital, things were not going well for Smith.

Smith appeared on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani Aug. 10 to discuss the loss and what the next steps will be for the 34-year-old fighter.

While Smith recognizes that the hospital likely had the best intentions, he feels that he was not treated as expected when he was transported there July 30. And according to him, the hospital officials and their annoyance of the fighters wasn’t just felt by him either.

“It was real clear that they didn’t want us at that hospital in Dallas anyways, they were almost seemingly annoyed that we were there,” Smith said.

“And I get it, it’s like the best trauma hospital in Dallas, not in a fantastic area, they get a lot of really critical injuries. I have a friend in Dallas, a police officer, and if there’s any cops that get shot, that’s where they take them because it’s the best. So they’re busy, and I’m sure they don’t want to deal with our self-inflicted bulls–t, which I understand, totally understand.”

Quotes were provided by MMA News and originally transcribed by Sportskeeda.

The loss dropped Smith to 36-17, and since 2018, “Lionheart” has maintained his status as one of the best 205-pounders in the world.

He fought for the title at UFC 235 in March 2019, losing to one of the best pound-for-pound fighters ever in Jon Jones. ‘Bones’ would beat ‘Lionheart’ by unanimous decision. Since that loss, Smith is 4-2 in his last six outings, including victories over Ryan Spann, Jimmy Crute, and Devin Clark, to name a few.

Who should Smith fight next? Let us know your thoughts in the comments, Penn NATION!