Anthony Smith releases first statement following loss in retirement fight: "Thank you to the UFC for saving my life"

Anthony Smith issued a statement after retiring from professional MMA competition. At UFC Kansas City, Smith competed in his final UFC fight against Zhang Mingyang. Unfortunately for 'Lionheart' Zhang proved to be the better fighter on the night, winning by a first-round knockout.

Smith, who thanked the UFC and fans for their support, took to Instagram and issued the first statement. The 36-year-old, who sustained severe cuts in the fight, posted a picture of himself receiving treatment backstage. In the caption, he praised his opponent and expressed his gratitude, writing:

"That’s a wrap! Congrats to Zhang. The LHW division is on notice. You’re gonna have a great career. Thank you to all the people who have supported me all these years. I was never good enough to make it this far…I’m just really happy that it all happened. Thank you to the ufc for saving my life."

Check out Anthony Smith's Instagram post below:

Fellow UFC fighters such as Robert Whittaker and Miesha Tate, as well as fans, flooded the comments section to congratulate Smith on his retirement and wished him luck for future endeavours.

Smith retired from professional MMA competition with a 38-22 professional MMA record. While he never won the UFC title, Smith has created a decent legacy in the sport with several high-profile wins and memorable performances.

One of the highlights of Smith's professional MMA career is when he refused to win the light heavyweight title by disqualification in a fight he was losing. After an illegal knee from Jon Jones visibly impacted his ability to fight, Smith continued to fight till the final bell, giving Jones the opportunity to retain his title at UFC 235 in March 2019.

At the peak of his career, Smith was one of the most active contenders in the UFC. While he has competed at middleweight in the past, the 36-year-old did his best work after moving up to light heavyweight.

While his performances yielded mixed results in recent years, the untimely passing of his longtime coach and mentor, Scott Morton, in November 2024 influenced Smith's decision to retire.

Explaining his decision, Smith said that he is at peace with his legacy. Outside of fighting, he has emerged as one of the respected MMA analysts in recent years. Smith has his own podcast apart from his work as a member of UFC's broadcast team.