Anthony Smith didn’t look like a winner at UFC Singapore on Saturday, but that’s exactly what he was.
Before The Korean Zombie made his final walk to the Octagon inside Singapore Indoor Stadium, ‘Lionheart’ stepped into the co-main event spotlight determined to snap a two-fight losing skid. Standing in his way was a familiar foe, Ryan Spann. The pair had met once before with Smith scoring a first-round submission in their 2021 main event showdown.
Despite that, Smith entered the bout as a +130 underdog on many of the most popular sportsbooks.
Smith came out in the opening round looking sharp as ever, peppering Spann with strikes and nearly taking ‘Superman’ off his feet with a series of heavy calf kicks. However, Spann began to turn the tide in the second round and created quite a nasty situation with Smith’s left eye. A cut above the eye began to bleed during the round, but the real issue was the significant amount of swelling under the eye that had an undeniable effect on his vision.
The ringside physician checked on the condition of Smith’s eye, determining that he was okay to continue. With the third round being fairly competitive, the fight was anyone’s for the taking. In the end, the cageside judges saw it in favor of Smith, awarding him a 29-28 on two of the three scorecards.
The victory didn’t come without a pinch of controversy as a majority of fans on the popular scoring app Verdict had Spann doing enough to secure the victory.
Spann has now dropped back-to-back fights and is 2-3 in his last five fights inside the Octagon. With the win, Smith improved to 4-2 in his last six.
Check Out Highlights From Anthony Smith vs. Ryan Spann at UFC Singapore Below:
Anthony Smith eye // El ojo de Anthony Smith😯😯. pic.twitter.com/3n0uH12QIX
— Carlos Lamb (@CarlosLamb_) August 26, 2023
LION HEART !
2 juges sur 3 ont donné la victoire à Anthony Smith qui s’impose donc par décision partagée 🙌#UFCSingapore
— La Sueur (@LaSueur_off) August 26, 2023
"Bringing the victory back to Nebraska"
It's in his name. Anthony "Lionheart" Smith.
Victorious.
What a heart @lionheartasmith @ufc @937TheTicket pic.twitter.com/Ai8QKdCp0u
— Derrick Pearson (@derrickpearson) August 26, 2023
