Talking to Robin Black in the latest episode of Fight Talk on RT Sport, former UFC and Bellator commentator Jimmy Smith brought his ‘brutally’ honest opinion about bareknuckle boxing as it currently plays in the United States.

Former MMA fighter Smith made himself a household name as a commentator and analyst during his decade-long contribution for organizations such as Bellator MMA and M-1, before joining the UFC in January 2018, where he then worked for a year.

Talking to Black on the bareknuckle boxing edition of the Fight Talk show last Sunday, Smith explained why he is not a fan of this particular boxing code in its current state in the United States. 

“I will be brutally honest with you,” he said. 

“I am not a fan of bareknuckle boxing in the States, not because of the brutality of the bareknuckle (boxing), which bothers a lot of people. It doesn’t bother me, I’ve seen Muay Thai fight, with the guys who had ropes on their hands and all that. It doesn’t bother me at all.

“The level of the fighters being used troubles me in the United States. I don’t want to see Chris Leben, who couldn’t pass a medical test in Bellator, fighting Phil Baroni, who I don’t think should get hit anymore. I don’t like that,” he explained.

“I wouldn’t pay to see Jason Knight fighting Artem Lobov in anything, let alone bareknuckle… I mean the quality of the fighters doesn’t impress me. 

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“And if it were Errol Spence Jr. taking on Terence Crawford, bareknuckle – I’d watch it! I think those guys are amazing. But right now bareknuckle doesn’t have the status to get those guys.

“So you are getting fighters… And this is purely my opinion, who have washed out of boxing, have washed out of MMA, and ‘Oh! There is one more thing!’: I hate that one more thing. 

“In MMA too, I don’t want to see fighters that [say] ‘Hey I can step to this plate one more time.’ Cause the cost is so high! 

“The quality of the fighters being used in the States right now for bareknuckle, which is a new thing, troubles me. And as a result, I don’t support it,” Smith concluded.