Anthony Smith, the UFC light heavyweight veteran known as “Lionheart,” officially retired from mixed martial arts after a first-round TKO loss to Zhang Mingyang in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night Kansas City on April 26 2025. The fight, held at T-Mobile Center in Missouri, marked Smith’s 60th professional MMA bout and the end of a 17-year career that saw him rise from homelessness to a UFC title challenger. In a heartfelt Instagram Story statement, Smith congratulated his opponent, expressed gratitude to his supporters, and credited the UFC for giving him a life he never imagined possible.
Smith’s retirement fight ended at 4:03 of the first round when Zhang, a 26-year-old Chinese prospect, unleashed a barrage of ground-and-pound elbows, forcing referee Jason Herzog to stop the fight. Despite the loss, Smith’s Instagram post captured his gratitude and perspective.
“That’s a wrap! Congrats to Zhang. The LHW division is on notice. You’re gonna have a great career. Thank you to all the people who have supported me all these years. I was never good enough to make it this far…I’m just really happy that it all happened. Thank you to the ufc for saving my life,” he wrote.
A Career Defined by Heart and Resilience
Smith, 36, finishes his career with a 38-22 record, including 13-12 in the UFC. His journey included notable wins over former champions Mauricio Rua and Rashad Evans, former Bellator champion Hector Lombard, and title contenders Alexander Gustafsson and Volkan Oezdemir.
A highlight was his 2019 title fight against Jon Jones at UFC 235, where Smith refused to win by disqualification after an illegal knee, choosing to fight on despite being rocked, earning widespread respect, per Sportskeeda. His significant strike accuracy was 47%, with 3.84 significant strikes landed per minute, and he secured 7 submissions in his career.
Zhang, now 19-6 with 16 knockouts, extended his 12-fight win streak, including first-round finishes in all three of his UFC bouts. The loss capped a three-fight skid for Smith, following defeats to Dominick Reyes in December 2024 and Roman Dolidze in June 2024. The passing of his longtime coach Scott Morton in November 2024 heavily influenced his decision to retire, as Smith told MMA Junkie, noting it left a “missing piece” in his training.
Smith’s emotional post-fight moment included a tribute video played in the arena, with UFC legend Chael Sonnen offering advice to “be grateful that it happened”. Fighters like Robert Whittaker, Miesha Tate, Belal Muhammad, and Israel Adesanya shared support on X, with Adesanya highlighting Smith’s speech. Smith reflected on his life’s transformation, telling the Kansas City crowd:
“I felt OK, but once I got clipped with that elbow, it was bleeding in my eyes,” Smith said afterward. “He does a great job in the clinch. Listen, at the end of the day, five years ago that’s a beatable guy. Here I am, I’m aging. It is what it is, father time wins tonight.
“Every single one of you made an impact on my life. 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 I’ve never been able to have. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much.”
One last time for Anthony “Lionheart” Smith 👏 #UFCKansasCity pic.twitter.com/eGOeTH7WFG
— UFC (@ufc) April 27, 2025
Looking ahead, Smith will continue as a respected UFC analyst and host of the On Paper Podcast. He also hinted at exploring slap-fighting ventures, possibly tied to UFC Fight Pass, in a discussion on The Ariel Helwani Show.
