Anthony Smith has been released from Sarpy County Jail in Nebraska after posting $500,000 bond. It is the first major movement in the case after the former UFC light heavyweight title challenger was booked Monday night on three felony charges, turning a familiar UFC desk presence and recent Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA winner into one of the biggest combat-sports legal stories of the week.
Smith stayed in custody until his first court hearing at 8 a.m. local time Wednesday. Online court records showed the half-million-dollar bond, and Smith was no longer listed on the Sarpy County jail roster afterward. There is still no listed date for the next hearing, and the arrest affidavit remains sealed, so the details behind the allegations are not public yet.
Smith is facing charges, not convictions, and the case is now in the part where facts need to come from court records. The bond amount is now set, but the case itself is still at an early stage.
🚨 Anthony Smith’s bond has been set at $500K
As a condition of his bond, Smith cannot have any contact with his wife
(via @TMZ_Sports)
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) July 29, 2026
Bond Set As Smith’s Felony Case Begins Moving
The current charge list includes Attempted First Degree Domestic Assault, listed as a Class II felony, Terroristic Threats, listed as a Class 3A felony, and First Degree False Imprisonment, listed as a Class IIIA felony. The court paperwork cited in the report lists the attempted domestic assault count as carrying a possible prison range of 1 to 50 years, while the terroristic threats count carries a possible 0 to 3 years, a $10,000 fine, and 9 to 18 months of post-release supervision.
Smith’s name still carries weight because of his long UFC run. He challenged Jon Jones for the UFC light heavyweight belt at UFC 235 in March 2019, losing a unanimous decision after refusing to take a disqualification win when Jones landed an illegal knee.
His UFC run eventually ended after a TKO loss to Zhang Mingyang at UFC Kansas City, where Smith retired and thanked the promotion for changing his life. Retirement did not keep him out of combat sports for long. Smith later jumped into Jorge Masvidal’s bare-knuckle MMA lane and submitted Chase Sherman in the first round.
Smith had been active around UFC broadcasts, still had a public combat-sports role, and was only months removed from competing again. Now the next step is a felony case in Nebraska with a sealed affidavit, a $500,000 bond, and a former title challenger waiting on the court calendar.
Smith has not publicly addressed the allegations as of this writing. Until the sealed records open up or the next hearing lands, the clean read is simple enough: he is out of jail after posting $500,000 bond, but the case itself is nowhere near over.
