Anthony J. Smith[5] (born July 26, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist.
[10] Smith started his career in 2008 and fought mainly for local promotions in the midwestern United States.
[16] In his debut, Smith faced Antônio Braga Neto on June 8, 2013, at UFC on Fuel TV 10.
He faced promotional newcomer Leonardo Augusto Leleco on February 21, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 83, replacing an injured Trevor Smith.
[21] Smith was briefly scheduled to face Scott Askham on July 8, 2016, at The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale.
[31] Smith faced Thiago Santos on February 3, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 125.
[34] Smith faced former champion Rashad Evans in his light heavyweight debut on June 9, 2018, at UFC 225.
[36] On short notice, Smith replaced Volkan Oezdemir, and faced yet another former champion in Maurício Rua on July 22, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 134 main event.
[44] Smith faced Alexander Gustafsson on June 1, 2019, in the main event at UFC Fight Night 153.
[47] Smith was scheduled to face Glover Teixeira on April 25, 2020, at UFC Fight Night 173.
[61] Smith was scheduled to face Jamahal Hill on March 11, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 221.
[62] However, Hill was pulled from the bout after being rebooked to instead face Glover Teixeira for the vacant light heavyweight title at UFC 283.
[65] Smith faced Ryan Spann in a rematch on August 26, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 225.
[68] Smith faced Khalil Rountree Jr. on December 9, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 233, as a replacement for Azamat Murzakanov who fell ill with Pneumonia.
[72] Smith was scheduled to step in on short notice to face Carlos Ulberg on June 29, 2024, at UFC 303, as a replacement for an injured Jamahal Hill.
[77] Smith competed against Glover Teixeira in the main event of UFC Fight Pass Invitational 4 on June 29, 2023.
[79] At approximately 4:00 a.m. on April 5, 2020, an intruder gained entry to Smith's home in Nebraska through an opened garage door.
Smith found him "screaming at the top of his lungs" in his computer room, and proceeded to fight the man for five minutes until the police arrived.
[84] Weeks prior to his bout at UFC 310 in November 2024, Smith's longtime coach of over fifteen years Scott Morton passed away suddenly.