5 times that Anthony Smith lived up to his 'Lionheart' nickname in the UFC

#2. Pulling off a genuinely miraculous comeback – Anthony Smith vs. Hector Lombard

Anthony Smith pulled off a tremendous comeback to beat Hector Lombard in 2017

Prior to rising to UFC title contention at 205 pounds, Anthony Smith was largely considered a journeyman middleweight who would usually lose against top-level opposition.

That all changed when he fought former Bellator middleweight kingpin Hector Lombard at UFC Fight Night 116 in 2017. Lombard had his back to the wall after suffering three straight losses, but he was still favored to beat Anthony Smith. 'Lionheart' had just three UFC victories to his name at that point.

And early on, it looked clear why Lombard was the favorite. He took the fight to Smith in the opening round, dropping him with an uppercut. He outright knocked Smith across the octagon with a right hand minutes later.

But Anthony Smith showed his toughness and heart and managed to survive. He then absorbed more punishment in the second round, while also landing a fair number of shots of his own. By the third round, Lombard was clearly ahead but appeared to be fading. ‘Lionheart’, meanwhile, despite taking some serious damage, was still fresh.

And when the stanza began, suddenly it was Smith on the offensive, pushing forward and forcing Lombard back with his strikes. Eventually, a straight right hand connected with the Cuban’s jaw, and where Smith was able to take the best Lombard had to offer, the same could not be said in reverse.

Lombard dropped to the ground and a few shots from Smith sealed a huge victory for him. Given that his reputation prior to this fight was that of a glass cannon, this was a huge win for the future title challenger. The victory more than earned him his ‘Lionheart’ moniker.

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#1. Refusing to take an easy victory – Anthony Smith vs. Jon Jones

Anthony Smith could've chosen to take a disqualification win over Jon Jones - but instead kept on fighting

Reaching the top of the mountain in the UFC is an impossible task for most fighters. Gaining a shot at UFC gold, even in a losing effort, will usually represent the pinnacle of a career in MMA.

With that in mind, naturally, you’d expect any fighter given a clear chance to actually claim a UFC title to take it without a second thought. At UFC 235, Anthony Smith was given such a chance. He could’ve taken an easy, albeit questionable, victory over Jon Jones and become the UFC light heavyweight champion, if only for a short time.

Incredibly, though, he refused to take the easy way out. He arguably gained more respect because of it.

Smith was never expected to beat Jones, who’d held the title for the best part of a decade by the time of their meeting. He’d earned a shot at the gold with some impressive wins. But essentially, ‘Lionheart’ felt like just another easy win for one of the all-time greats.

And sure enough, while Smith proved to be tough enough to survive, for the first three and a half rounds, he could do nothing against Jones. 'Bones' won basically every moment of the fight.

But as the fourth round ticked away, it looked like Jones was becoming frustrated with his inability to finish Smith. And so he threw a brutal and illegal knee to Smith’s head, leaving him folded up against the fence.

Referee Herb Dean immediately stepped in to call a halt to the fight. Had Anthony Smith simply stayed down and refused to continue, Jones would’ve been disqualified. That would have made ‘Lionheart’ the new champion.

However, living up to his nickname, Smith refused to take the easy way out. He kept fighting until the main event bout went the distance, with Jones winning a decision. A different character almost certainly would’ve milked the knee and taken the victory, but they probably would’ve lost a lot of respect in the process.

By doing it another way, not only did Anthony Smith prove his moniker correct, he also showed himself to be a truly classy fighter.