The only thing Anthony Smith is focused on right now is his final fight.
After more than a decade inside the Octagon and nearly 60 career fights, ‘Lionheart’ will finally lay down his gloves this weekend when the UFC heads back to Kansas City for a loaded Fight Night card. In the evening’s main event, Ian Garry faces Fighting Nerds standout Carlos Prates in a high-stakes welterweight clash.
But first, fans will see Smith close out his career in the co-main event when he meets 18-6 standout Mingyang Zhang.
After dedicating his life to mixed martial arts for nearly two decades, ‘Lionheart’ has no idea what comes next, but he’ll figure all that out later. For now, he’s just looking forward to winning this last fight and spending some quality time with his family.
“My only real plan, if I’m being honest with you guys, is to fight, leave my gloves in the middle of the Octagon, go to my afterparty with the hundreds and hundreds of people that have really changed their schedules and made it a point to come here just for me,” Smith said during the UFC Kansas City media day on Wednesday. “We’re going to celebrate there, and then I’m not even going home. I’m going straight to the farm that I grew up on with my family.
“I’m pulling my kids out of school for a couple days, and I’m going to sit in a rocking chair with a cold drink with my uncle Todd and my cousins and my family, and we’re going to sit there and maybe reminisce a little bit about what this was at one point. That’s kind of my plan. After that, I’ll figure it out.”
Anthony Smith looks to close out his career on a high note
Smith has lost three of his last four inside the Octagon, including back-to-back defeats against Roman Dolidze and Dominick Reyes.
He’ll face another tough test in ‘The City of Fountains’ when he meets Zhang, a veritable knockout artist with 12 career KOs. Earning his contract during the Road to UFC tournament in 2022, the ‘Mountain Lion’ has scored himself a pair of impressive first-round finishes inside the Octagon, besting Brendson Ribeiro and Ozzy Diaz.
