1 week Ago
Not all MMA retirements are made equal, especially in the UFC, where grizzled veterans are thrown to the wolves. For every fighter like Khabib Nurmagomedov or Georges St-Pierre who retire on top, there are a dozen fringe contenders who lay down the gloves following bloody losing streaks. The latest to join their ranks is 59-fight MMA veteran Anthony Smith.
.. Anthony Smith retires following UFC Kansas City defeat Smith's planned retirement fight was booked for April 26, the co-main event for UFC Kansas City.
'Lionheart,' once a challenger to Jon Jones' light heavyweight throne, didn't get an easy out, coming up against Mingyang Zhang. The Chinese striker rides a twelve-fight winning streak, all coming by knockout in the first round. All of Zhang's wins are first-round knockouts, and Smith was no different.
Zhang mauled Smith with leg kicks and elbows, splitting his forehead and drawing forth a fountain of blood. Before long, Smith attempted a takedown, and Zhang stuffed his head into the canvas. Blood pooled as Zhang rained down elbows on Smith, before the fight was called.
It's not the fairytale ending Smith fans had hoped for, but he did receive a heartwarming sendoff from the UFC in the form of a retirement package. Happy retirement Anthony Smith! More MMA Knockout News UFC Kansas City crowd boos main card fighters before starting "Tomahawk Chop" UFC main card fighter flattens opponent’s nose and scores faceplant KO UFC legend breaks down Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall, weighs-in on GOAT discussion UFC prelim fighter scores incredible one-shot knockout Stick with MMAKnockout for more FREE coverage of the UFC, MMA, Boxing.
Follow MMAKnockout on Facebook , Twitter , and Instagram ..
