UFC light heavyweight veteran Anthony Smith has revealed the actions that resulted in him flipping off a fan moments after a crushing loss in his retirement fight.
Smith made the walk to the Octagon for the final time at this weekend’s UFC Fight Night in Kansas City. While “Lionheart” had no doubt hoped to exit the sport on a high, Zhang Mingyang provided a hurdle too tall in that regard.
The Chinese standout maintained his 100 percent first-round finishing rate with a dominant performance in Missouri. But his emphatic display and the conclusion of Smith’s career weren’t the only talking points.
In the immediate aftermath of the TKO stoppage, a bloodied Smith could be seen angrily gesturing toward a fan in the crowd. During the UFC Kansas City Post Show, the 36-year-old explained what got him so riled up.
“There was a guy in a Nebraska shirt and he was like booing me and flipping me off and kind of talking trash before the fight,” Anthony Smith said. “But I was really focused on what I had to do. Then after the fight, his friend is cheering and he’s still flipping me off and saying some pretty disrespectful things.
“I was so mad. He was wearing a Nebraska shirt! We’re supposed to be family here. It’s not a very big community of people here,” Smith continued. “Mingyang is like, ‘Don’t do this brother, you’ve got to quit that.’ Listen, I was emotional. The fight didn’t go the way I wanted it to go. That is what it is. That’s just part of the game. … If you’re sitting in the crowd, you’re definitely not doing what I’m doing, especially wearing a Nebraska shirt. You can’t talk trash wearing a Nebraska shirt! Like, come on now!”
After a lengthy career in Mixed Martial Arts, “Lionheart” tells the sport thank you and goodbye.
Anthony Smith retired from active MMA competition following his loss against Zhang Mingyang in the co-main event of UFC Kansas City. Mingyang’s streak of consecutive first-round finishes remains as a result.
“Every single one of you made an impact on my life,” Smith said. “When I started this game, I was homeless. I had nothing going for me. And now this platform has allowed me to raise my family, my four beautiful daughters, and give them a life that I’ve never been able to have. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much.”
Zhang started things off with leg kicks before catching Smith trying to come in. Though Smith tried to pressure, Zhang was ready with his striking, mixing together punches and low kicks. Zhang soon changed things up to nasty elbows, cutting Smith open on his head. Smith was a bloody mess not long after and shot for a takedown to try and change things.
It was unsuccessful, however, and a battered Smith continued to take a beating with elbows and ground-and-pound until the referee stepped in.
Anthony Smith Falls To Zhang Mingyang In Retirement Fight At UFC Kansas City
I don’t care what you think about Anthony Smith. That fucking sucks to see. Retire the name Lionheart with him. He gets to take that with him. Dude could have taken a win over Jon Jones and been forever in history a UFC champion but he didn’t out of principle. That dude deserves…
Smith began his professional MMA venture in 2008, going to compete for numerous promotions, including Strikeforce, Bellator, and Cage Fury FC before arriving to the UFC in 2016. After a 4-2 run at middleweight in the Octagon, Smith moved up to light heavyweight and made a name for himself with sub-90-second finishes of both Rashad Evans and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in 2018.
Smith would follow that up with a submission of Volkan Oezdemir to earn a shot at Jon Jones and the light heavyweight championship at UFC 235. Jones was in control for most of the fight, but the moment of the fight came when Smith was hit with an illegal knee in the fourth round. Rather than take the disqualification loss and title like Aljamain Sterling would do three years later against Petr Yan, Smith elected to continue the fight. Though Jones was deducted two points for the foul, he still won a unanimous decision.
Smith would go on to be a streaky fighter following the fight, ending his career 6-8 (7-7 with win) since the loss to Jones.
Mingyang, meanwhile, entered tonight’s bout 2-0 in the UFC after a first-round knockout on Road to UFC in 2022. In 2024, Mingyang scored first-round finishes of Brendson Ribiero and Ozzy Diaz.
UFC light heavyweight veteran Anthony Smith will soon be hanging up his gloves content with all he achieved in the sport of mixed martial arts.
Smith announced his plans for one final farewell fight on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage after falling to a third loss in his last four fights in December 2024. He was knocked out by Dominick Reyes at UFC 310, a result that came five months on from another setback to middleweight contender Roman Dolidze.
With that, 2025 will mark the year in which “Lionheart” retires. Smith will conclude his career at UFC Kansas City this weekend, where he’ll meet an opponent who rides a streak of 11 first-round finishes in the form of Chinese prospect Zhang Mingyang.
During an appearance on Monday’s episode of The Ariel Helwani Show on Uncrowned, Smith reflected on his lengthy stint as an active fighter and explained why the lack of a world title on his résumé isn’t as frustrating as some may think.
“I don’t mean this to sound cocky or arrogant, but I’ve never, until now, felt like I’ve done something worth celebrating,” Smith said. “I’ve never felt like I should be celebrated. I feel like now I’ve f*cking put in a career that I should be proud of and I should deserve to be able to celebrate it and be happy about it.
“I didn’t think I’d ever be happy if I didn’t win a world title, but I found myself in a place where that’s ok because it wasn’t for lack of effort,” Smith continued. “I tried really, really, really fucking hard and I’m just going to celebrate what I was able to do. I came from nothing.”
Anthony Smith is set to walk away from professional fighting after his upcoming bout on April 26 in Kansas City. The longtime UFC light heavyweight opened up about his decision in a recent interview with Damon Martin for MMA Fighting, revealing that the passing of his longtime coach and friend, Scott “Scotty” Morton, played a major role in making retirement an easier choice.
“Retiring now is easy because I’m leaving something that doesn’t feel normal anyways,” Smith said. “A lot of it is just uncomfortable, and it’s different, and you don’t know what to do without it.
This thing is different for me now. It’s not the same. The whole process feels different. And it’s not even just fighting—my everyday life is different with him gone.”
Smith admitted he had been contemplating retirement for a while, but he kept pushing it back. “I kept saying three or four more, and then, you know, that three or four just kept getting pushed back,” he said. However, as the demands of training and fight preparation continued to take time away from his family, Smith realized he was ready to move on.
“I love the fight part of it—there’s nothing I enjoy more than walking into the Octagon and fighting,” he explained.
“But it’s everything that surrounds it that I’m not willing to do anymore. The media, the travel, the being away from my family, living in hotel rooms—I’m just not as willing to do that anymore.”
Despite stepping away from competition, Smith will remain a fixture in MMA through his work as an analyst.
“I want to spend the rest of my life doing what I want to do, not what I have to do,” he said. “I got lucky—so many fighters don’t have a plan for life after fighting.”
Smith’s final fight against Zhang Mingyang at UFC Kansas City will mark the end of an era—but for him, it already feels like he’s left the old life behind.
While initially surprised by the matchup chosen to be his last, UFC light heavyweight Anthony Smith says he now understands it.
Smith announced his plans for one final farewell fight on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage after falling to a third loss in his last four fights in December 2024. He was knocked out by Dominick Reyes at UFC 310, a result that came five months on from another setback to middleweight contender Roman Dolidze.
With that, 2025 will mark the year in which “Lionheart” retires. And he’ll do so opposite a curious choice of opposition.
During the latest episode of his On Paper podcast, Smith admitted to being “shocked” at first when the bout was presented to him. But while many see him as the UFC’s sacrificial lamb as the promotion looks to build the “Mountain Tiger,” the 36-year-old former title challenger doesn’t see it that way.
“I didn’t have any suggestions, but I was very shocked with the matchup, for sure,” Smith said. “That wasn’t a bad thing, I just was not expecting that one, but once I kind of looked into him a little bit and sat on it, it makes a lot of sense why they would go in that direction.
“I have a lot of conversations with these guys — and if they did (book the fight for Zhang to win), they’re probably not going to tell me — but Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby have always told me that they don’t care who wins. They want good fights. They want interesting matchups. And they put people in positions and it’s up to you to do what you what you do with it,” Smith continued. “Of course, we can think of people that were favorably matched and put in some better positions than others, but I’ve known Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby and those guys a really long time and they’ve always been pretty straight-up with me, even in times that I don’t like it.”
UFC Kansas City remains without a main event as of now, but names like Giga Chikadze, Michel Pereira, and Ikram Aliskerov are among those slated to join Smith’s retirement fight on the April 26 lineup.
King Green strongly disagrees with T.J. Dillashaw’s assessment of Anthony Smith.
Dillashaw recently claimed that “Lionheart” lacks the heart to become a UFC champion, accusing him of tending to quit in fights — though he notably failed to mention Smith’s title fight against Jon Jones.
Green, however, pushed back against Dillashaw’s remarks, arguing that Smith’s extensive fight record is proof of his toughness and resilience.
“When you said he wasn’t a champ or he wasn’t going to be a champ, I get that, brother, I get it, but there’s other parts to that,” Green said on the JAXXON PODCAST. “You’re not going to understand. I was looking up your record. You’re 18-5, is it? OK, so that’s 23 fights. You see how many fights Anthony Smith has? He has like 50-something, crazy number.
“I’m not comparing the two. What I’m trying to get you to understand is this: When you say he don’t have no heart, you don’t walk that walk 50-something times against the UFC’s best.”
In March 2019, Smith fought Jon Jones for the UFC light heavyweight championship. During the fight, Jones struck the challenger with an illegal knee to a downed opponent, a foul that could have led to a disqualification. Instead, “Lionheart” chose to continue, ultimately losing by unanimous decision — a moment many see as proof of his warrior mentality.
Green continued his defense of Smith, emphasizing the toll that years of fighting take on a competitor.
“One thing that you’ve been dealing with—injuries—you can understand that part,” Green said, addressing Dillashaw. “For you to go out there 50-something times, you have to go out there busted up a lot. I think we don’t take into consideration some of the things that maybe happen behind the scenes.
“Yeah, I see what you were saying, too. Sometimes there’s a little quit in him, but sometimes you don’t know, bro. My nose is already broke four times, and he just hit me right in my sh*t again.”
Anthony Smith is set to step into the octagon one last time before retiring from professional MMA. His farewell fight will be against Zhang Mingyang at UFC Fight Night in Kansas City on April 26.
After this bout, Smith will officially retire, closing the book on a career that has spanned more than 50 professional fights.
Anthony Smith’s final walk to the Octagon is targeted for UFC Kansas City in April.
Multiple sources familiar with the UFC’s plans confirmed to MMA Fighting that Smith is expected to face Zhang Mingyang at the event. The matchup was initially reported by @Kangzif on X.
The report of Anthony Smith vs. Mingyang Zhang being targeted for April is accurate. However, the bout is not slated for UFC 314. It’s expected to take place at UFC Kansas City on April 26, multiple sources tell @DamonMartin and I. Story coming to @MMAFighting.
This fight will mark the end of Smith’s career, serving as his 59th professional bout and 25th UFC appearance. He started 2024 on a high note with a submission victory over Vitor Petrino at UFC 301 last May. But the former light heavyweight title challenger is now coming off back-to-back losses to Roman Dolidze and Dominick Reyes.
Following his loss to the latter, “Lionheart” hinted at possible retirement, a sentiment echoed by UFC CEO Dana White, who suggested it might be time for him to step away.
Mingyang, on the other hand, enters this high-profile matchup riding an impressive 11-fight win streak, with every victory coming via finish in the first round. The bout presents a major opportunity for the rising Chinese fighter to break into the UFC light heavyweight rankings. Mingyang earned his contract with a highlight-reel knockout on Road to UFC in 2022.
His official UFC debut came at UFC 298, where he delivered a first-round knockout of Bendson Ribeiro. In November, he followed up that performance with another quick first-round finish over Ozzy Diaz at UFC Macau. Now, the 26-year-old looks to extend his momentum and make a statement against the veteran Smith.
UFC Kansas City is scheduled for April 26, at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri. This marks the promotion’s third visit to Kansas City and its first since UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Allen in April 2023.
A recent episode of Quinton “Rampage” Jackson’s JAXXON Podcast, has sparked a heated feud between the veteran and UFC light heavyweight Anthony Smith.
The controversy began when Jackson and guest TJ Dillashaw discussed Kevin Holland’s career trajectory, with the latter stating that Holland’s lack of discipline will prevent him from ever becoming a champion.
Smith, who co-hosts the On Paper podcast, took issue with the episode — but not because of Dillashaw’s comments about Holland. Instead, his criticism stemmed from Jackson’s recent interview with controversial UFC fighter Bryce Mitchell. That episode was later removed from the podcast’s YouTube channel after Mitchell made pro-Nazi remarks.
However, Smith went beyond that specific interview, accusing the hosts of repeatedly disrespecting fighters, potentially jeopardizing their ability to book future guests.
“You bring fighters on, you sh*t on them — it happened to me,” Smith said. “You brought me on, you were super cool to me. I had a good time. I love Rampage, he’s my favorite fighter, I’ve said that for years. You’ve heard me say that a hundred times — Rampage is my favorite fighter. You bring me on, I have an amazing time, and several months later, you’re on there with Dillashaw f*cking making fun of me.
“That’s what they do, that’s their thing. Honestly, it’s less Rampage — he’s just kind of the funny ‘ha ha’ guy, and he just laughs about stuff. They’re just not great to fighters, they make fun of a lot of people. They did the same shIt to Ian Garry when he was supposed to go on the show, and then they spent the show before that calling him a cuck. Whether you think Ian Garry’s a cuck or not, you can’t bring the motherf*cker on the show the next episode after calling him a cuck and making fun of his family dynamic or him and his wife and his kids… I don’t agree with that.”
Jackson Fires Back
Smith’s comments didn’t sit well with Jackson, who responded with an explosive rant on his YouTube channel. The former UFC champion was visibly angry, going so far as to threaten “Lionheart” with a physical confrontation.
“I love doing this podcast. This podcast got me back into MMA, and I’ve met a lot of fighters since I started doing this f*cking podcast,” Jackson said. “I saw this f*cking post that Anthony Smith did, I saw it this morning, f*cking pissed me off. When TJ sat right motherf*cking here and said you’ll never be champion and said that you f*cking gave up, Bear and I f*cking had your back. That’s why we were saying, ‘Lionheart,’ with a f*cking nickname like Lionheart? Not ‘Lying Heart.’”
Jackson claimed that he reached out privately to Smith via direct message to clarify that he wasn’t mocking him, but Smith ignored the message.
“I DM’d you. I looked at it, and I could see how you could think that I was making fun of you, too. So I DM’d you. I f*cking said to you in the DM, ‘Look here, I wasn’t making fun of you.’ Because I could have made fun of you,” Jackson continued. “Fighters, we make fun of each other. Yeah, I’m a comedian pretending to be a motherf*cking fighter, but the problem is motherf*cker, I really can fight. I hope I calm down before I see you, because motherf*ckers like you get b*tch-smacked for real.”
Jackson also pointed out that he refrained from mocking Smith’s knockout loss to Khalil Rountree in December 2023 despite having the opportunity to do so. He compared it to his own career, which ended with a brutal TKO loss to Fedor Emelianenko in 2019.
“I’m telling y’all, b*tch-ass motherf*ckers, soft-ass motherf*ckers out there, y’all need to chill the f*ck out and quit being little b*tches,” Jackson said. “Yeah, T.J. shouldn’t say somebody shouldn’t be a f*cking champion, but that’s TJ, and I respect him for that. He’s standing on business. He’s one of the greatest to ever do it in his motherf*cking weight class. Some of you guys are just bitches.
“This sh*t got me pissed off. I’m going to tell you — tell that Anthony Smith motherf*cker, call that motherf*cker up, tell him to keep my motherf*cking name out of his motherf*cking mouth. If I see his b*tch ass, I’m going to smack the f*ck out of him.”
With tensions at an all-time high, it remains to be seen whether this feud will escalate further or if cooler heads will prevail.
Following his second consecutive loss at UFC 310 last month, Anthony Smith suggested that it may be the final time that he steps inside the Octagon. “Lionheart” was incredibly emotional in that moment but the decision to put a full stop on his career is something that fans have expected for some time with Dana White even saying after the event that he hoped it would be the end of the line.
It was clear from his walk out in Las Vegas on December 7 that the former light heavyweight title challenger wasn’t in the right frame of mind to be competing following the loss of a very close friend and former cornerman. He was stopped by Dominick Reyes in the second round but after having some time to reflect on the fight, he recently announced on The Ariel Helwani Show that he has a fight scheduled for April that will allow him to go out on his own terms.
“Yeah, it’s one more. Win, lose, or draw, that’s going to be it.”
During the same interview, Smith also said that he had inquired about the possibility of competing in a different arena once he lays the gloves down. Rather than swapping them for boxing gloves like several high-profile names have in recent times, the 36-year old was interesting in abandoning them for good by stepping into Power Slap.
Smith said that after posing the question to the UFC’s Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell, his request was denied. Considering that he he will have 59 pro MMA bouts under his belt by the end of April, this could be to stop other fighters who are at the end of their careers from taking more damage.
“Dude, I tried. They told me no, straight up. I asked Hunter, he told me no. He wouldn’t even bring it to Dana.”
Anthony smith asked Hunter Campbell if he can compete on power slap
When it comes to the ever-polarizing pound-for-pound debate between Jon Jones and Islam Makhachev, UFC light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith is in the corner of his former opponent.
This past weekend, Makhachev did no harm to his claim to top spot, where he already currently sits in the official UFC rankings. The Dagestani secured a record-breaking fourth successful defense of his lightweight belt and fifth UFC title win at the expense of Renato Moicano.
One man who has long been against that has been UFC CEO Dana White, instead putting forth heavyweight kingpin Jones as the clear and obvious P4P number one.
Interestingly, despite Moicano being a lower-ranked and late-notice replacement opponent for Makhachev after the withdrawal of Arman Tsarukyan, White finally acknowledged Makhachev as the P4P best while interacting with the media in Los Angeles.
During an appearance on Tuesday’s episode of The Ariel Helwani Show on Uncrowned, though, Smith dismissed that take owing to one discrepancy when it comes to Jones and Makhachev’s record — one “legitimate” defeat.
“I still think it’s Jon Jones,” Smith said. “He’s gone through three different generations of fighters and has continued to win. And again, Islam has taken a legitimate loss and Jon Jones hasn’t.
“I think you take them all and put them in a room, Jon Jones walks out,” Smith concluded.
Makhachev’s sole career loss came a decade ago at UFC 192, where he was knocked out cold by Adriano Martins.
On paper, Jones boasts the same number of setbacks. But the importance of that has long been dismissed in MMA circles due to it coming via disqualification for a now-legal 12-6 elbow against Matt Hamill in 2009.
Dominick Reyes continued his resurgence at UFC 310, securing a second consecutive victory with a TKO win over fellow former title challenger Anthony Smith. After the fight, “Lionheart” hinted at the possibility of retirement, a sentiment shared by UFC CEO Dana White, who suggested it might be time for Smith to step away.
The call for his retirement comes as the veteran light heavyweight has now lost two consecutive fights, including a decision defeat to Roman Dolidze at UFC 303. Despite the speculation, he appears to be reconsidering retirement, indicating his desire to step into the Octagon one more time before calling it quits.
Smith also faced challenges outside the fight itself following the passing of a friend and coach, leading to his emotional walkout and post-fight remarks at UFC 310.
Speaking on SiriusXM’s MMA Today show, Smith reflected on the idea of a farewell bout.
“There’s a circumstance that probably exists where I would do one more,” Smith shared. “It would have to be the perfect scenario — timing, opponent, and situation. I know there’s almost never the perfect sendoff, but having the opportunity to give all the people who supported me a chance to experience fight week knowing it’s the last time would be special.
“Being able to tell everyone in that process what they’ve meant to me over all these years, like one final fight… Win, lose, or draw, who gives a f*ck? But one final sendoff would be cool, I think,” Smith added.
"I've never felt grief like this ever…I've never struggled like this before."
Anthony Smith candidly speaks about dealing with the loss of his friend, training partner, and coach Scott Morton ahead of #UFC310
UFC 310 was an incredibly difficult night for Anthony Smith who in the featured prelim, suffered a loss to Dominick Reyes. It was clear from the first few seconds of his walk out that this fight would be unlike any other for the former title challenger following the recent loss of his longtime friend and coach, Scott Morton.
Smith was visibly struggling to keep it together on his walk to the cage which is completely understandable when you consider what he was going through. After being stopped in the second round, he told Joe Rogan in his post-fight interview that in the moment, he thought this would “probably” be the last fight of his career.
In a recent interview with SiriusXM, Smith spoke openly about his mental state going into that fight and how he wasn’t able to control his emotions despite believing that he would be able to “power through it”. He also gave more context to one of the most alarming moments in the fight where it looked like he was allowing Reyes to repeatedly punch him without defending or throwing anything back.
“I got impatient,” Smith said. “I just wanted something to f*cking happen. I just forced it. I just got impatient. Nothing was happening. He wasn’t engaging. I’d seen everything. That was the worst part, too. I was in there, and I was like, ‘Goddamn, you’re not that good.’ And then it hit me like, ‘F*ck, maybe I’m not either.’
“Maybe I’m not either anymore. The left hand wasn’t nearly as fast as I expected it to be. I think I over-predicted how good he was going to be on his feet. He landed a shot here or there, and then at some point where I was like, ‘F*cking hit me or something. I need to f*cking feel something. Give me something here.’”
Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping would like to see his podcast co-host, light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith, continue his active career inside the cage.
Smith’s latest outing on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage came at last weekend’s UFC 310 pay-per-view, where he competed in the featured preliminary bout opposite a fellow former title challenger in Dominick Reyes.
“Lionheart” was open during fight week about his recent struggles following the passing of a coach and friend. And the veteran was visibly emotional en route to the Octagon inside T-Mobile Arena, to the point where the commentary team questioned whether he was in the right head space to fight.
One prominent name who knows the 36-year-old well, however, doesn’t think that’s the case.
During a recent episode of his Believe You Me podcast, Bisping gave his reaction to Smith’s latest setback, which leaves him 1-3 across his last four bouts.
Similar to his thoughts on “Lionheart’s” defeat to Khalil Rountree a year ago, “The Count” suggested he was against Smith taking the fight in the first place. With that in mind, the Brit plans to share some advice to the light heavyweight if he chooses to make the walk again — something he’s expecting.
“I don’t think he should’ve taken that fight, at all,” Bisping said (h/t Bloody Elbow). “But I don’t think he will retire. I think when he watches that back, he’s going to be embarrassed when he watches it, and it’ll inspire him to come back. The world doesn’t deserve to remember him like that.
“Maybe it was therapeutic in some ways, but I’d like to see him fight again. … This isn’t a sport that you play, and that’s why Dana White says Chris Weidman and Clay Guida need to retire. That s*** will stay with you,” Bisping continued. “If he fights, I’m going to give him a call, and say, ‘If you do this, do it for the right reasons. Train as if you’re training for a world title fight, as if you’re going against Jon Jones. Leave no stone unturned, otherwise if you’re not willing to do that, then don’t even think about it in the first place!’”
It remains to be seen what comes next for Smith, and if UFC 310 did indeed mark a disappointing farewell.
Reyes, meanwhile, will look to continue his resurgence at 205 pounds next year. “The Devastator” has now won back-to-back fights since a knockout loss to Ryan Spann in late 2022 left him 0-3 post-fighting Jon Jones.
Dominick Reyes continued his resurgence at UFC 310 on Saturday night, earning a second consecutive victory with a TKO win over fellow former title challenger Anthony Smith.
Despite Reyes’ success, the fight was marked by emotional and unusual moments from Smith, who is grappling with the recent loss of one of his coaches and friends.
Smith entered the Octagon visibly affected, crying throughout his walkout. His emotions carried into the fight, leading to an unusual mid-fight moment that Reyes discussed at the post-fight press conference.
“When I went into the cage – I haven’t been around Anthony much in my life, for the record – but I could see he was emotional,” Reyes said. “That’s a dangerous man. He’s said it himself: he’s fighting for a friend, and he doesn’t care about the outcome. He just wants to feel something.”
Reyes described a surprising exchange in the first round when Smith dropped his hands and asked him to punch him.
After the fight, “Lionheart” hinted at the possibility of retirement, a sentiment echoed by UFC CEO Dana White, who suggested it might be time for Smith to step away. The veteran light heavyweight has now lost two consecutive fights, including a decision defeat to Roman Dolidze at UFC 303.
“There was a point in the first round when he put his hands down and just said, ‘Punch me in the face,’ and I obliged. That’s my job. My job is to finish you and get you out of there, whether you’re going through something or not. If you’re going to give me free shots, I’m going to hit you. We are professional fighters, and it’s a very dangerous game. God bless Anthony.”
💔😣 “HE PUT HIS HANDS DOWN AND TOLD ME TO PUNCH HIM IN THE FACE”
Dominick Reyes says Anthony Smith purposely put his hands down during their fight and told him to punch him in the face because he wanted to feel something.#UFC310pic.twitter.com/Ph6hUSnSAg
Reyes, for his part, acknowledged the difficulty Smith is facing but reiterated his own focus.
“Losing someone is never easy; I’ve lost people this year as well, and it’s terrible. I’m glad he got to come out and be the warrior that he is — this is his outlet,” Reyes said. “My job is to win and give my best performance, and that’s all I was focused on. Whatever you’re going through, when the door closes, it’s wartime.”
Smith’s future in MMA remains uncertain, but his emotional journey at UFC 310 highlighted the deeply personal battles fighters often face outside the cage.
UFC 310 was always going to be a difficult moment for Anthony Smith, but it now looks like it might have been the last time fans see him compete inside the Octagon.
In the featured prelim at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, former light heavyweight title challengers met for the first time as “Lionheart” took on Dominick Reyes.
The entire fight week has been a particularly emotional one for Smith following the loss of his best friend and longtime cornerman, Scott Morton, last month. He chose to compete in order to channel his energy into something positive, but it was clear as he made his walkout that the moment was affecting him.
Daniel Cormier and Joe Rogan questioned on commentary whether Smith should have been stepping inside the Octagon in that state, and that conversation only continued after he appeared to fight recklessly at points in the opening round. In the second, Reyes took full control of the contest, and after landing lots of ground-and-pound with his opponent seemingly reluctant to change the position, “The Devastator” secured back-to-back wins.
In his post-fight interview, Smith admitted that he was wrong about believing he could suppress his emotions in order to make the walk, telling Rogan that it will probably mark the last bout of his 58-fight career — though he will take some time before making the final decision.
Fans reacted to Smith’s emotional loss and interview via social media.
Can't help by feel for Anthony Smith. He's a good guy in our sport. I hope to see him more in the booth, as well as in fighter's corners. He has a lot to offer MMA #UFC310
Anthony Smith has developed a close friendship with Jamahal Hill and is openly rooting for him as Hill prepares to take on another former UFC light heavyweight champion in Jiří Procházka at UFC 311 on Jan. 18.
Meanwhile, Smith has his own battle to focus on this Saturday at UFC 310, where he faces Dominick Reyes. Assessing the upcoming Procházka-Hill clash during media day, Smith acknowledged the challenges posed by the Czech star’s unorthodox fighting style but remains confident that Hill will secure a knockout victory.
Hill is coming off a strong run in the division, having put together a four-fight winning streak with three TKOs against Jimmy Crute, Johnny Walker, and Thiago Santos, followed by a decision victory over Glover Teixeira at UFC 283 to claim the title. However, he lost the belt to Alex Pereira via KO at UFC 300 this past April.
Procházka, heading into this fight, holds a 1-2 record in his last three bouts. Both losses came against Pereira via TKO — first for the vacant title at UFC 295 and again for the belt at UFC 303. His lone win during this stretch was a TKO victory over Aleksandar Rakić at UFC 300.
Smith shared his thoughts on the matchup during UFC 310 media day.
“Jiří is such a pain in the ass. He’s just got such a unique style and fights so free,” Smith said. “But anybody that’s as hittable as Jiří standing in front of Jamahal is going to have a bad night. That’s not just because Jamahal’s my friend — the power that guy carries is different. His ability to find shots is different, and you’re not going to have to work too hard to find Jiří’s head.”
Perhaps what many didn’t expect is how competitive the first few rounds would be before Rountree’s gas tank and the damage he was taking started to catch up to him.
As a former opponent of Rountree’s, Anthony Smith was able to take a lot away from watching this fight play out this past weekend in Salt Lake City.
Anthony Smith Says That Watching Khalil Rountree At UFC 307 Made Him More Positive
Though he has recently buried the hatchet with Pereira over their previous feud, Smith still took a lot of enjoyment after seeing how well Rountree did against “Poatan”.
The challenger’s last victory before he fought for the title was against “Lionheart” where he viciously stopped him in the third round.
Smith was happy that his performance against Rountree clearly wasn’t a one-off after seeing how well he did against Pereira who is a whole different level in the striking.
“To be very honest, there was a lot of me those first two rounds that felt really good watching Khalil, like f***, at least it ain’t just me.
“I was like oh thank God. It would have really hurt my heart if Pereira had went out there and just dusted Khalil in like a round but watching him have some real serious success and land big on, you know how it is as a fighter. You kind of sit back and go, ‘S*** he didn’t land on me like that till the third round’. It was cool and it made he happy for Khalil.”
“The Last Stylebender” was unsuccessful in his bid for another reign, falling via rear-naked choke submission in the third round. By all accounts, a rematch with Sean Strickland looks the likeliest next task for the reigning titleholder.
But one man caused a stir with his Instagram post in the aftermath, as Pereira teased a possible return to the division he once ruled over to do battle with “Stillknocks.”
Given that “Poatan” has previously dismissed talk of another drop to that weight and instead pondered a heavyweight venture, many were surprised by the post. One man who has long gone back and forth with the Brazilian, however, thinks he might know the reason behind it…
Smith: Pereira’s ‘Brotherhood’ With Adesanya Motivating Possible Pursuit Of Du Plessis
During ESPN’s UFC 305Post Show this past weekend, the panel of Smith, Din Thomas, and Brett Okamoto reflected on the main event in Perth and looked ahead to what could be next for the champ and unsuccessful challenger.
In terms of the victorious South African, they made note of Pereira’s social media tease. And although plenty have dismissed it as a playful post, “Lionheart” believes the reigning light heavyweight king could be serious.
“Part of me kind of believes he’s a little bit serious. I don’t think he’s any bigger now than when he was at light heavyweight last time,” Smith said. “I feel like there’s a sense of Alex wanting to kind of stick up for Israel. They have this weird connection, this weird brotherhood, this unusual friendship. They’re moulded together for the rest of their careers.
“I feel like that’s him (Pereira), ‘Alright, you beat my friend, or someone that I have history with. So now I’m coming down and I’ll take care of it.’ That’s kind of how it felt,” Smith continued. “Almost like, ‘We have this thing going on, but none of you can mess with us.’ That’s kind of how it was.”
The major events for the UFC’s 2024 final quarter schedule is starting to come together, and a battle between former light heavyweight title challengers is being targeted for the last pay-per-view of the year.
A clash between Anthony Smith (38-20) and Dominick Reyes (13-4) is being planned to take place on December 14, the likely date for UFC 310, per Alex Behunin of MMA Mania. Though no location has been announced, it is believed the card will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Anthony Smith vs. Dominick Reyes Targeted For UFC 310
Smith is coming off a loss to Roman Dolidze at UFC 303 this past June. “Lionheart” was just less than two months removed from his previous fight, defeating Vitor Petrino at the Brazil-held UFC 301 in May.
The veteran contender has consistently traded wins and losses over the past couple of years since challenging Jon Jones for the UFC light heavyweight title in the main event of UFC 235, losing a decision.
Reyes, meanwhile, competed at UFC Fight Night Louisville in June, knocking out Dustin Jacoby in two minutes. It was “The Devastator’s” first fight since a loss to Ryan Spann at UFC 281 in 2022 and his first victory since defeating Chris Weidman in Boston in October 2019.
His four-fight losing skid in the time between began with an unsuccessful challenge of Jones at UFC 247, losing via a controversial decision.
TJ Dillashaw recently escalated his critique of Anthony Smith, backing up all of his previous fault-finding of the former UFC light heavyweight title challenger.
Interestingly, the former UFC bantamweight champion was highly critical of “Lionheart’s” performance during his appearance on the JAXXON PODCAST with former UFC champions Rampage Jackson and Luke Rockhold last month. Dillashaw mocked Smith’s moniker, bluntly stating that the 36-year-old Texan will never become champion because he lacks the resilience to persevere.
Smith swiftly responded to Dillashaw’s pointed remarks during an episode of the BELIEVE YOU ME Podcast. “Lionheart” didn’t hold back, taking a scathing jab at the 38-year-old Californian’s positive performance-enhancing drug test in 2019, which resulted in a two-year suspension from the UFC.
However, the exchange of verbal jabs didn’t end there. Dillashaw has returned with a fresh barrage of critiques, once again labeling Smith as a quitter…
Dillashaw Thinks Smith Becomes Defensive When Judged
During his recent appearance on the JAXXON PODCAST, Dillashaw sought to defend his previous comments about Smith, arguing that he lacks the attributes of a true championship contender—a reality Smith himself has acknowledged.
“I thought he was going to be a champion. I said no, and then you’re like, why not? It’s like, he gives up,” Dillashaw said. “He doesn’t have that fight, he doesn’t have that dog in him personally, and I think he admitted it himself without even hearing our podcast yet. He did a video after that, kind of like deciding he’s going to continue to fight.”
The bantamweight veteran further noted that while Smith frequently criticizes other fighters, he doesn’t handle criticism directed at himself with the same grace.
“I mean, dude, the guy’s got to sit there and be like, why are you wearing your feelings on your sleeve? I mean, he sits there and talks sht about people on the broadcast all the time. I’m no stranger to it; he said some sh*t about me. It’s like, whatever, dude. That’s just how I feel, and if you don’t like it, if the truth hurts, too f**king bad.”
Muhammad has beaten several top contenders since his first encounter with Edwards but the Brit’s recent wins over Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington stand out.
Not only did he get his hand raised against both men, he was successful at fending off their heavy grappling approaches, which Muhammad is sure to use as his game plan in Manchester.
Smith spoke during an event preview for ESPN MMA about how he gives the champion the edge because of what we’ve seen him do against two of the best wrestlers to ever grace the 170-pound division.
“I would believe it’s probably Leon. I think that he’s been in harder fights versus better guys, that’s no disrespect to the guys that Belal has beaten but they’re not at the level of a Kamaru Usman. I think the Colby fight was a big deal for Leon, not because of the way that he won or what he was trying to prove, I think that style is impossible for people to deal with including Kamaru Usman, who a lot of people think is the welterweight greatest of all time.
“I think the way that he made Colby look where he was so uncomfortable on his feet he couldn’t even shoot, we’ve never even heard of that. He didn’t even have to defend takedowns because he was so good on his feet that Colby didn’t want to shoot. I thought that was a big deal.”
UFC light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith sympathizes with former opponent Jon Jones as he battles his latest legal case.
The reigning heavyweight champion has once again found himself the subject of concerning allegations, this time involving a female agent for Drug Free Sport International — the organization that administers the UFC’s new anti-doping program.
A few months on from details of the alleged incident emerging, Jones has officially been charged with assault, a petty misdemeanor, and interference with communications, a misdemeanor.
The MMA great is unsurprisingly challenging the tester’s account of events, having been firm with his denial in the days after the accusations initially emerged. And having had his own experience with drug testers in the past, one former opponent of Jones’ appears to support him…
Smith On Jones’ Drug-Tester Charges: ‘Sometimes They Can Be Assholes…’
During a recent episode of Michael Bisping’s Believe You Me podcast, Smith reacted to the charges against Jones, which mark the latest controversy outside of the cage involving his ex-rival.
“Lionheart,” who unsuccessfully challenged for Jones’ light heavyweight title back in 2019, explained why he was compelled to support Jones following news of the charges, noting that not every tester is well-mannered and appreciative of fighters’ time.
“I kind of stuck up for him at the beginning because it is a pain in the ass to do the whole drug-testing thing,” Smith said. “I’ve always been lucky that my drug testers have always been pretty cool. They’re fairly respectful of your time, they’re fairly respectful of the inconvenience that they’re creating for you. So they always show up like, ‘Hey, I know it’s not the best time, sorry, let me get this sample and we’ll get out of here.’ But I have had one…not here at home or in Denver, but just been out somewhere and they find this random person, somebody you’ve never had before, and sometimes they can be assholes. They have this power trip…like they want to boss you around.
“If he (Jones) got one of those bad ones…because he’s a little bit hot-headed at times, I can understand him kind of flipping out and going off,” Smith continued. “And apparently he was having a party, so I think he was drinking and had some friends over. They show up, started to be assholes, kind of being disrespectful at times, I could see him kind of going off. But once you start touching people and taking their phones and stuff, that’s a problem. But if (the testers were) being an asshole to him, then it’s kind of in his right. That’s not illegal.”
Days on from the charges being confirmed, Jones appeared at Bernalillo Country Metropolitan Court on Wednesday for his bail arraignment, pleading not guilty to the misdemeanors.
Having had the conditions for his ongoing release set, the UFC star will have his bench trial scheduled for a date between 30 and 45 days down the line.
Jon Jones appeared for his bond arraignment hearing this morning at Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court with his lawyer Christopher Dodd where he entered a "not guilty" plea on misdemeanor charges of assault and interference with communications, per the court's public…
UFC fighter and commentator Anthony Smith thinks Jorge Masvidal’s hate for Colby Covington ended up being his downfall.
Masvidal fell to his former friend turned bitter rival Covington in the UFC 272 main event via a unanimous decision. It was a culmination of bad blood and personalized trash talk that had built for months leading up to the fight.
Covington went as far as invoking Masvidal’s personal life, specifically his ex-wife and children, into the mental warfare. This appeared to amp the intensity even more during fight week.
After the fight, Masvidal explained that he felt “flat” with his wrestling and that it was a major factor in his loss. This prompted critiques from ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith and others on his post-fight comments.
“I could tell all week that there was something off,” Smith said of Masvidal. “But I thought that it was just a big fight, he hates him or whatever. But there was something off all week and I couldn’t put my finger on it. So I didn’t talk about it on the pre-fight show all week long because I couldn’t really figure out what it was.
“But I figured it out afterwards after seeing him fight. He talked about being flat, but I think he was so mentally and emotionally exhausted from his absolute hate and rage. That kind of anger and hate, even if you’re holding it in and you’re not letting it come out in your fight style, that’s so much stress. And it’s exhausting, it’s mentally and emotionally exhausting, and that’s always gonna kinda transfer to your fight style and to your own conditioning. I think he hated him too much. “
Covington hasn’t backed away from trash-talking Masvidal in the aftermath of their fight. He recently used Masvidal’s pre-fight “headline” prediction against him in an Instagram post.
Masvidal has squashed speculation that he may opt to retire after the loss to Covington. He seems intent on a rematch with Covington down the line and returning to the magic he found in 2019.
Do you agree with Anthony Smith’s take on Jorge Masvidal?
Anthony Smith has continued to take shots at Luke Rockhold.
After Smith fought Jon Jones, Rockhold began blasting “Lionheart” for being a bad middleweight that was able to get a title shot. That began a feud as Smith told him to move up so they can fight. And after Rockhold did move up and got KO’d by Jan Blachowicz, their rivalry only increased.
Now, as Rockhold is angling to face Paulo Costa next time out, Smith doesn’t think it is a good idea, as he thinks the former champ would get knocked out.
“He’s not able to stay awake at work… He falls asleep on the job all the time. But it’s just like he sucks now. And ok that’s a lie,” Smith said on Michael Bisping’s podcast (via Sportskeeda). “I don’t want to put it out there like that. I think he’s very skilled. He’s super dangerous, he’s got insane kicks, he’s got good power, he’s an insane wrestler, he’s a fantastic guy on top. But defensively, he’s not good enough to beat anybody worth a f**k.”
Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Given both Smith and Rockhold do not have a fight booked, perhaps this recent trash-talk will allow this fight to happen. It would be a big fight, as it could headline a Fight Night card or be on a pay-per-view, as the two don’t like one another. However, Rockhold has made it clear he isn’t interested in fighting at light heavyweight.
Anthony Smith is coming off a submission win over Ryan Spann, which was his third win in a row as he also beat Jimmy Crute and Devin Clark. He’s currently ranked fourth at light heavyweight while Luke Rockhold has not fought since UFC 239, where he was KO’d by Jan Blachowicz.
Do you agree with Anthony Smith’s harsh assessment of Luke Rockhold?
The following story was published on this day three years ago. It is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.
On This Day Three Years Ago…
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 6, 2019, 9:11 PM]
Headline: Jon Jones Dispels Israel Adesanya Comparisons
Israel Adesanya has been receiving a lot of comparisons to his upcoming opponent, Anderson Silva, as of late. However, there’s also another name he has been compared to quite often recently. That name being UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.
Speaking to the UFC recently, Jones addressed the recent comparisons to “Stylebender”. Other than their frame and the color of their skin, Jones doesn’t really believe there are too many similarities (via MMA Mania):
“We have similar body types and we’re both black,” Jones said. “And that’s about it. I don’t think we fight alike, I don’t think we fight similar. I do a lot of wrestling, heavy ground-and-pound, a lot of submissions – I strike in both stances, I feel like our games are very different.
“But I do respect him, a lot. I think he is going to be a force to be reckoned with. He is great for the sport, great talker and he finishes fights. He is a very exciting young man.”
Adesanya will take on Silva in the co-main event of this weekend’s (Sat. February 9, 2019) UFC 234 pay-per-view (PPV) from the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia. As for Jones, he will be defending his championship in the main event of UFC 235. That PPV goes down from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 2, 2019.
What do you think about Jones’ reaction to comparisons to Adesanya?
