Money, national pride, 'TUF' pride not motivators for UFC 160's Colton Smith

It’s “TUF” champ vs. “TUF” champ. It’s the U.S.A. vs. Australia.

But really, Colton Smith said, who cares about that stuff? And while we’re at it? Who cares about the money, too?

Smith (3-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) fights Robert Whittaker (10-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) on Saturday at UFC 160 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Smith is the Season 16 champ of “The Ultimate Fighter.” And Whittaker is the welterweight winner of “TUF: Australia vs. U.K.” from this past December.

Their fight is part of the FX-televised prelims prior to the main card on pay-per-view.

And while some people may be making the fight about the aforementioned story lines, that doesn’t mean too much to Smith, who also serves in the U.S. Army.

“I’m sure there’s an angle the UFC has with U.S.A. vs. Australia, and I get that,” Smith told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). “But Robert Whittaker and I, there haven’t been words exchanged, there’s no bad blood. We’re all professionals at this point.”

Instead, Smith is more worried about getting his second UFC win in the books – in just his fifth official pro fight.

That 3-0 record he took into “The Ultimate Fighter” is a big reason he was an underdog when he got to the finals against Mike Ricci – but he upset him anyway. And Smith agrees he should’ve been one.

“I was a big underdog, and rightfully so,” he said. “I was pretty green in the sport and he had accomplished quite a bit.”

Against Whittaker, he gets another opponent who has accomplished more than he has with three times as many fights, and, of course, a “TUF” crown of his own.

Smith said the fact both of them are gunning for some early respect in the welterweight division coming off their seasons of the reality competition should make this fight a good one.

“He’s tough, a power puncher, athletic and he’s hungry,” he said. “Stylistically, he’s a great fight for me.”

But along with not caring much about the angles anyone wants to play with this fight, there’s the real reason Smith gets into the octagon and trains and fights.

It’s not the money – though he admitted getting a win and going backstage and having a check handed to him sure can be pretty nice when it comes to paying the bills.

But there’s a feeling that if there wasn’t any money involved, he’d be doing this, anyway.

“Money’s great and a good motivator, and it supports my family,” he said. “But I’m not in it for the fame or the money. I’m in it to win. The high of getting your hand raised – that’s why I fight. There’s no feeling like it. I love doing it.”

For the latest on UFC 160, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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