After competing in 59 professional fights, Anthony Smith brought his legendary MMA career to a close last year in April following his loss to Zhang Mingyang at UFC Kansas City. He also transitioned into an analyst role with the UFC, joining the promotion’s broadcast team for marquee events. Just as life appeared to be easing into retirement for ‘Lionheart,’ an unexpected arrest has shattered that sense of stability for the UFC veteran.
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Initially reported by TMZ, police arrested the 38-year-old on Monday at 8:44 p.m from his home in Sarpy County, Nebraska. A subsequent report from MMA Fighting confirmed the former UFC light heavyweight title challenger’s status, reporting that he remains in custody at the county jail. According to arrest records obtained by various outlets, Smith faces three felony charges: terroristic threats, first-degree false imprisonment, and attempted first-degree domestic assault. Local sources, based on court records, have identified the victim as Anthony Smith’s wife.
As of now, the details surrounding the circumstances that led to Smith’s arrest have not been confirmed. However, First Alert 6 Investigates reported that the former UFC fighter turned himself in after a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Coming to the charges, an earlier version of the report stated that Smith had been charged with domestic assault causing serious bodily injury, which is classified as a Class IIA felony in Nebraska. If convicted of that charge, the 38-year-old could have faced up to 20 years in prison. However, MMA Fighting later amended its report after reportedly speaking with the Chief Deputy Sarpy County Attorney, clarifying that Smith is charged with attempted first-degree domestic assault.
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As for the other felony charges, the allegations indicate that Smith prevented or restrained the victim from leaving a location, conduct that can constitute ‘false imprisonment’ under Nebraska law. Also, the UFC veteran allegedly threatened the victim with the intent to cause fear, whether through written, verbal, or physical means, resulting in a ‘terroristic threats’ charge classified as a Class IIIA felony under the state’s law.
For the former UFC light heavyweight title challenger, navigating the legal situation could prove challenging, as this marks the first time he has been arrested over allegations of such serious crimes. But he isn’t the first UFC fighter to be charged on such serious grounds recently.
Police had arrested former UFC heavyweight Jairzinho Rozenstruik earlier this year in Miami on similar charges of felony false imprisonment and misdemeanor domestic battery following a brief dispute with his partner. However, the court dropped the charges against the Surinamese fighter in March after the alleged victim declined to “provide a sworn statement.”
While further details surrounding Smith’s arrest have yet to emerge, he has previously spoken openly about his struggles with mental health.
Anthony Smith’s past struggles with mental health
Six years ago, Anthony Smith endured a terrifying incident that left a lasting impact on him and his family. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, an intruder named Luke Haberman reportedly broke into Smith’s home in Omaha, Nebraska. The UFC fighter engaged in a five-minute struggle to prevent the intruder from harming his family before police eventually arrived and arrested the man at the scene.
Following the incident, Smith revealed in an interview with the UFC that he had struggled with his mental health and sought help from a therapist to cope with the aftermath.
“I don’t want to say that I’m one of these guys that struggle a lot with my mental health, but I think in 2020, everyone kinda struggled with their mental health a little bit,” Smith stated. “And if I’ve got some s–t I’m struggling with or my brain is occupied with other stuff, it typically comes out in my fights. So I worked really hard and I spent a lot of time with my therapist, essentially just unloading everything that was on my mind – the break-in, the repercussions of that on my family and COVID in general.”
After enduring the trauma of the home invasion, Smith faced another devastating chapter in his personal life. In 2023, the former light heavyweight lost his mother, a tragedy that took a significant emotional toll on him. He reportedly described the grief as “dying.”
After making his UFC debut in 2013 and returning permanently in February 2016, his career appeared to continue beyond his retirement, as he had transitioned into a role as an analyst. While he had a successful UFC career, stacking a respectable 13-12 record in the promotion and challenging Jon Jones for the title in 2019, Anthony Smith also endured several difficult periods in his personal life, which have now taken another troubling turn with his recent arrest.
