"The Lion sleeps with Honor" - Fans react as Anthony Smith delivers emotional retirement speech following bloody loss at UFC Kansas City

UFC Kansas City was the stage for Anthony Smith's retirement fight. Unfortunately, it was not the swan song he had hoped for. Nevertheless, Smith still delivered a sentimental speech, watching a video package of himself through teary eyes. The entire moment drew fan approval on social media.

The fight itself wasn't a good performance from Smith. While 'Lionheart' did his best to impose himself against Zhang Mingyang on the feet, he was sliced open by step-in elbows. Eventually, Smith shot for a fruitless takedown, which Zhang stuffed, forcing him into the fetal position.

Several elbows later, the referee intervened. Yet, in his post-fight interview, Smith was no solemn figure, saying:

"I don't even know what to say. Watching that video, I did that sh*t. I did that, I did that. I'm gonna take some advice from Chael [Sonnen], I'm just gonna be grateful it happened. I appreciate you guys. We can be sad next week, but tonight I'm gonna have some gratitude. Thank you so much, Kansas City!"

Check out Anthony Smith's retirement speech below:

The UFC shared Smith's retirement speech during his post-fight interview on X. While 'Lionheart' has never been the best fighter, he has always been a game fighter and even fought for the light heavyweight title against Jon Jones, arguably the greatest mixed martial artist of all time.

Smith has also beaten high-profile names like Alexander Gustafsson and Rashad Evans. Fans were quick to turn up to the UFC's post, with most praising Smith:

"Thank you Anthony Smith for every bit of entertainment"

Another fan gave him a tip of the hat:

"The Lion sleeps with Honor"

This was echoed by more fans:

"Legendary heart, always!"

Some, though, will miss Smith:

"You will be missed. God bless you Lionheart."

Check out more fan reactions below:

Fan reactions

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Anthony Smith retires with 60 professional fights

The sheer volume of fights that Anthony Smith has competed in as a professional is astonishing. At UFC Kansas City, he walked away from MMA with 60 professional fights and a 38-22 record. He has also been on the UFC roster since 2016, but his first stint in the promotion was a one-fight appearance in 2013.

Check out Anthony Smith's UFC highlights below:

In total, Smith has 25 fights under the UFC banner, having spent nearly half of his career fighting in the promotion. At times, he was at middleweight before finding his stride at light heavyweight.