Longtime UFC fighter Anthony Smith has suggested that his upcoming fight would be the last of his professional MMA career. Smith is scheduled to clash against China’s Zhang Mingyang. Their light heavyweight bout will serve as the co-headlining match for the UFC Kansas City fight card, which goes down at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo., U.S.A., on April 26, 2025.
Ahead of his much-awaited return, Smith’s MMA and UFC journey has once again come into the spotlight. “Lionheart” even challenged for UFC gold in his career and has battled several ups and downs en route to his imminent farewell. Here’s a closer look at the 36-year-old American’s UFC record and how he’s fared in the world’s premier MMA organization.
What Is Anthony Smith’s UFC Record?
Anthony Smith made his professional MMA debut back in Feb. 2008. He gradually worked his way up to the UFC, making his promotional debut in June 2013. However, his maiden Octagon appearance ended in a defeat for him, as he was stopped via submission by Antonio Braga Neto. His first UFC run ended after that lone fight, which was followed by fights under the Bellator MMA banner and other MMA organizations.
His second UFC run commenced in Feb. 2016, marked by a unanimous decision victory against Leonardo Augusto Guimaraes. To this day, the Texas-born Nebraska-based fighter is a part of the UFC roster, having competed in multiple fights for the promotion in his second stint with them.
Currently, Smith boasts an official MMA record of 38 victories (19 wins via KO/TKO, 15 wins via submission) and 21 defeats, per the UFC’s official website. His UFC record stands at 13-11. Speculation has abounded that some of his fights haven’t been credited to his record and that he’s competed in even more fights than listed. Regardless, it’s considered to be an impressive record, particularly given the longevity of his career at the elite level in MMA.
Smith has competed at both middleweight and light heavyweight in the UFC. He made his light heavyweight debut by knocking out former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans in 2018. He knocked out another former 205-pound titleholder, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, later that year. That was followed by a submission victory against Volkan Oezdemir.
The three-fight win streak, which included wins over legends in Evans and Rua, bagged Smith his first and only UFC title shot. He faced then-UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon “Bones” Jones in March 2019 and was thoroughly outworked and beaten via unanimous decision.
Nevertheless, in round four, Jones landed an illegal knee, prompting the referee to pause the action. Many fans argued that if Smith hadn’t chosen to resume the fight, it’d have resulted in a DQ (Disqualification) defeat for Jones and a title win for “Lionheart.” However, he continued and went the five-round distance, ultimately losing on the judges’ scorecards against “Bones.”
Smith has since faced his fair share of wins and losses. He’s on a two-fight skid and is coming off a TKO defeat against Dominick Reyes in Dec. 2024.