Rewritten and restored, 7 October 2026: The earlier version contained incorrect results and described Smith as an active contender. This account uses the linked UFC records, separates the title challenge from later results and removes unsupported biographical and statistical claims.
Anthony “Lionheart” Smith reached a UFC light heavyweight title fight after three finishes in 2018. His career also illustrates why a fighter profile needs dated results: the run that earned a title challenge does not describe the whole career, and a win over one contender cannot be substituted for a later loss to another.
The 2018 route to a title challenge
UFC’s athlete history records first-round knockout wins over Rashad Evans at UFC 225 and Mauricio Rua in July 2018. The third win came against Volkan Oezdemir in Moncton on 27 October.
That Oezdemir result was a rear-naked choke submission in round three, not a unanimous decision. UFC’s contemporaneous main-event report gives the finish at 4:26 and explains how Smith took Oezdemir’s back after bringing him to the mat. The sequence matters: this was a finishing run at 205 pounds, with the third victory showing a different route to the finish from the first two.
UFC 235: a challenge, not a championship win
Smith challenged Jon Jones on 2 March 2019. Jones retained the title by unanimous decision, with all three cards reading 48–44. The earlier article’s 50–45 scores were wrong. UFC’s event report records the result and the two-point deduction Jones received for an illegal knee in round four.
A deduction changes the score without necessarily changing the winner. This bout is a useful example when reading a card: distinguish the judges’ round scores, any deducted points and the final decision. Our scorecard tool lets you work through that arithmetic; it does not replace the official cards.
Later wins and losses
The UFC history records a submission win over Alexander Gustafsson in June 2019 and later submission wins over Devin Clark and Ryan Spann. It also records Smith losing to Magomed Ankalaev by a second-round stoppage at UFC 277 in July 2022. The earlier version incorrectly listed Ankalaev among Smith’s wins.
Smith submitted Vitor Petrino in the first round at UFC 301 in May 2024, then lost to Roman Dolidze and Dominick Reyes later that year. These dated outcomes make the profile more useful than a general claim that a fighter remained dominant or kept winning.
The final UFC appearance and dated status
At the Kansas City event on 26 April 2025, Zhang Mingyang defeated Smith by TKO from elbows at 4:03 of round one. UFC’s official results and scorecards identify the contest as Smith’s final Octagon appearance. The UFC athlete page lists him as retired and shows a professional record of 38–22–0, checked on 7 October 2026.
This is a historical career account, with interpretation based on documented results. It does not claim first-hand interviews or ringside reporting. For related reading, see our Gustafsson career guide and Jones career guide.