Louis Smolka picked up another big win to close out October, defeating Paddy Holohan in front of a very partisan crowd in Holohan’s home of Dublin, Ireland. The win pushed Smolka firmly into the UFC’s top 15 rankings at flyweight, and he’s looking ahead to his next step in the division.
On last week’s UFC Tonight program on Fox Sports 1, it was reported that Sergio Pettis was interested in a bout with Smolka. However, the Hawaiian has Pettis’ teammate on his mind instead.
“To be honest, he’s not really on my radar,” Smolka said in an interview with FoxSports.com. “I’m trying to fight his teammate. I’m trying to fight Dustin Ortiz.
“Dustin Ortiz called me out in a more abrasive way. He said that I would be an easy fight for him. The way I train, I feel like I’m 15 minutes of hell for anybody. So, I take offense to Dustin Ortiz saying I’d be an easy fight.”
Penick’s Analysis: Smolka-Ortiz is at the top of the list of fights to make in this division. Smolka’s looked great in his last several, and Ortiz is an extremely capable and challenging opponent. It’s the right level of test for Smolka given the run he’s on, and a win over Smolka would conversely be a very good one for Ortiz. It’s a smart fight, and I’d imagine we’ll see the UFC looking to make it happen.
[Photo (c) Per Haljestam via USA Today Sports]
Leave a Reply