Anthony J. Smith (born July 26, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he was a challenger for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship in March 2019. A professional since 2008, Smith has also competed for Strikeforce and Bellator.
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Background
Born in Corpus Christi, Texas, Smith grew up in Nebraska City. He was raised by his single mother and grandfather, as his dad was absent. He has stated that he is biracial (half-black and half-white). Smith dropped out of high school in the middle of his senior year. He started working full-time as a concrete finisher, which he continued until 2016.
Mixed martial arts career
Amateur career
Smith started fighting as an amateur in 2006 and quickly compiled a record of 35 amateur fights, winning every local promotion’s belt in Nebraska.
Early career
Smith started his career in 2008 and fought mainly for local promotions in the midwestern United States. He compiled a professional record of 13–7, with wins against WEC veterans Logan Clark, Eric Schambari and losses to UFC veterans Jake Hecht and Jesse Forbes, before signing with Strikeforce.
Strikeforce
Smith made his Strikeforce debut on July 22, 2011, at Strikeforce Challengers: Bowling vs. Voelker III against Ben Lagman, replacing an injured Louis Taylor. He won via KO in the second round.
Smith faced Adlan Amagov on November 18, 2011, at Strikeforce Challengers: Britt vs. Sayers. He lost via KO in the first round.
Smith faced Lumumba Sayers on August 18, 2012, at Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman. He won via submission in the first round.
Smith faced Roger Gracie on January 12, 2013, at Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine. He lost via submission in the second round.
After the end of Strikeforce, Smith moved to the UFC.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
In his debut, Smith faced Antônio Braga Neto on June 8, 2013, at UFC on Fuel TV 10. He lost the fight via kneebar submission in the first round. He was subsequently released from the UFC.
Bellator MMA
On April 18, 2014, Smith made his Bellator MMA debut facing Victor Moreno at Bellator 117 winning via triangle choke submission in the second round.
Smith faced Brian Green on October 17, 2014, at Bellator 129. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Return to Ultimate Fighting Championship
On February 16, 2016, Smith was re-signed to the UFC. He faced promotional newcomer Leonardo Augusto Leleco on February 21, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 83, replacing an injured Trevor Smith. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Smith was briefly scheduled to face Scott Askham on July 8, 2016, at The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale. However, Askham pulled out of the bout on April 28 and was replaced by Cezar Ferreira. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Smith next faced Elvis Mutapčić on December 3, 2016, at The Ultimate Fighter 24 Finale. He won the fight via TKO in the second round and was awarded a Performance of the Night bonus.
Smith faced Andrew Sanchez on April 15, 2017, at UFC on Fox 24. He won the fight via knockout due to a combination of knee and punches in the third round.
Smith faced Héctor Lombard on September 16, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 116. He won the fight via technical knockout in the third round.
Smith faced Thiago Santos on February 3, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 125. He lost the fight via technical knockout. Both participants received a Fight of the Night bonus.
Smith faced former champion Rashad Evans in his light heavyweight debut on June 9, 2018, at UFC 225. He won the fight via knockout in the first round.
On short notice, Smith replaced Volkan Oezdemir, and faced yet another former champion in Maurício Rua on July 22, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 134 main event. He won the fight via knockout in the first round. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.
In his third fight in five months, Smith faced Volkan Oezdemir on October 27, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 138. He won the fight by submission in the third round. This win earned him the second consecutive Performance of the Night award.
Post UFC
Smith faced Chase Sherman in a bare knuckle MMA fight on April 10, 2026, in the main event of Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA 9 in the Dominican Republic. He won the bout via a rear-naked choke submission in the first round.
Professional grappling career
Smith competed against Glover Teixeira in the main event of UFC Fight Pass Invitational 4 on June 29, 2023. He lost the match by decision.
Championships and accomplishments
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Performance of the Night (Six times) vs. Elvis Mutapčić, Maurício Rua, Volkan Oezdemir, Alexander Gustafsson, Devin Clark and Ryan Spann
Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Thiago Santos
Tied (Mauricio Rua, Paul Craig & Nikita Krylov) for fifth most finishes in UFC Light Heavyweight division history (8)
UFC.com Awards
2018: Ranked #6 Fighter of the Year
Cage Fury Fighting Championships
CFFC Middleweight Championship (One time)
Victory Fighting Championships
Victory FC Middleweight Championship (One time)
Personal life
Home invasion incident
At approximately 4:00 a.m. on April 5, 2020, an intruder gained entry to Smith's home in Nebraska through an opened garage door. Smith found him "screaming at the top of his lungs" in his computer room, and proceeded to fight the man for five minutes until the police arrived. Smith states that the intruder "took everything that I gave him – every punch, every knee, every elbow. He took every single one of them and kept fighting me", describing the ordeal "as one of the toughest fights" of his life. The man was later identified to be 21-year-old Luke Haberman, an accomplished former high school wrestler.
Domestic violence arrest
On the night of July 27, 2026, Smith was arrested in Sarpy County, Nebraska and booked on felony charges of attempted first degree domestic assault, terroristic threats, and false imprisonment.
Smith is accused of threatening to kill his wife if she did not ride home with him after a night out at a local bar, forcefully making her enter his vehicle by pushing her inside, and pushing her around as they rode home. Smith is also accused of attempting to run his wife over as she attempted to escape the scene, but she was able to avoid contact with the vehicle. He was released from custody on July 29 after posting a $500,000 bond. Per the terms of his bond, Smith is prohibited from having contact with his wife, and has also been barred from leaving the state of Nebraska.