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Anthony Smith entered the cage for the final time when he took on Mingyang Zhang in the UFC Kansas City co-main event. A former light heavyweight title challenger and veteran of 60 professional fights, Smith contemplated retirement following a stoppage-loss to Dominick Reyes at UFC 310 late last year. "Lionheart" ultimately decided to return for one last bout, and at UFC Kansas City he was handed a difficult sendoff fight in the form of the hard-hitting Zhang.
READ MORE: UFC Fight Night: Ian Machado Garry vs. Carlos Prates free live stream results & highlights Bloodied Smith Argues With Fan Following First-Round Loss Zhang entered the matchup as a sizeable favorite to spoil Smith's retirement fight, as "Mountain Tiger" was already on a lengthy winning streak when he scored a first-round knockout on Road to UFC and added two more first-round finishes in 2024. The two light heavyweights quickly began exchanging leg kicks before Smith bit down and took a couple of big swings at Zhang, who was happy to return fire with some huge punches of his own.
READ MORE: UFC Kansas City crowd boos main card fighters before starting "Tomahawk Chop" Smith sustained a significant cut on his head after both men began working elbows into their exchanges, and a takedown attempt from a bloodied "Lionheart" was stuffed by Zhang with relative ease before he was able to start teeing off on his opponent with strikes and bring things to an end. There was a brief moment of confusion immediately after the stoppage as Smith went to the cage and appeared to argue with a member of the crowd, but after Zhang helped to calm his opponent the two men returned to the center of the cage and "Mountain Tiger" was officially declared the winner. More MMA Knockout News Dustin Poirier announces third Max Holloway bout for retirement fight at UFC 318 Rose Namajunas draws shock opponent for UFC return Kamaru Usman sends message to UFC rivals after comeback announcement Eddie Hearn gives blunt reaction to Eubank Jr.
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